LAFC have stood between Vancouver Whitecaps’ dreams before, but Thomas Müller has changed everything as they take on Son Heung-min’s Black and Gold in the MLS Cup Western Conference semifinals.
In many ways, the match is more fitting of a final. Over 55,000 fans will flock to BC Place, a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue, and the Whitecaps see it as a chance to slay their proverbial dragon after LAFC eliminated them from the postseason in 2023 and 2024.
“We’re gonna beat them. That’s what I’m thinking about this game,” an adamant Müller told reporters, having become familiar with his club’s gut-wrenching history against LAFC. “I was not there the last few years, so I have no bad memories or anything else. For me, it’s just my first conference semifinal.”
Adding in German to the Sekeres and Price show: “Wir müssen den Bock umstoßen ... [LAFC] is like a, like a very big deer, maybe a goat, and we have to get him out of the way.”
Müller Leads a New Hope After Champions Cup Loss
The Whitecaps have already put together their best-ever MLS season on the road to their first Western Conference semifinals appearance since 2017. They set records in wins, points, goals and saw center back Tristan Blackmon win the MLS Defender of the Year award.
Yet, they fell short in their most significant moment suffering a crushing 5–0 defeat in June’s Concacaf Champions Cup final against Liga MX’s Cruz Azul. There was a sense that the loss could have pushed them off course, but they remained undeterred pushing to the top of the standings and adding Müller in August.
“We have a huge task ahead of us because we have to pick ourselves up after a huge disappointment,” manager Jesper Sørensen said at the time in a haze of shock. “We have to do that, it’s one thing to be champions in football, another thing to be champions of life ... it’s about how you react when you meet adversity and it’s about how you show resilience when things are tough.”
On Saturday, the Whitecaps will pack BC Place for the second time this season, after previously selling out the Champions Cup semifinal against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
“I was aiming to get the crowds going,” Müller said about supporters in Vancouver. “I talked about the crowds and everything with some other guys, and I heard about the Miami game. It was also sold out—for sure, it was because of Messi. I can understand everyone wants to see the greatest player of our game.
“But this time, it is different. I think this time it’s sold out because of us. I think the main reason is our performance this year.”
Müller Throws Doubt on Son, Bouanga and LAFC
As much as Müller may not feel the LAFC heartbreak, he sees faults in their opponent’s setup.
Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga have been among the league’s most potent attacking players since August.
But LAFC have not beaten a team that finished higher than sixth in the West and has not had significant attacking contributions outside of the two stars. Bouanga, though, knows the Whitecaps well. He’s scored 13 goals against the team, including four in the MLS Cup playoffs.
“We know how good this team can be, but they are very reliant on Son and Bouanga,” Muller added. “If they know they’re not scoring, they don’t score. It’s very tough to keep these two very quiet during the game, but if we get it done, we have a good chance.”
As for his 13th game up against the South Korean superstar and first on North American soil, even he knows the spectacle on offer.
“You know how the game is played, especially here with you guys and the cameras. So it’s about the idols, it’s about the big players, it’s about names,” he said. “If you’re a fan, you want to feel the people behind the sports. So maybe for me, as a sports guy, it’s about our team against their team. But I also can understand that it’s Sonny against me.”
Why Müller Embraced Vancouver
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 14, 2025
Müller has quickly come to understand what it means to be a Vancouverite. He’s pushed to attend Vancouver Canucks games, participated in the pregame coin toss at the Northern Super League semifinal and has fully embraced the city’s outdoor lifestyle.
It’s a route not many stars take, but it’s second nature and endeared him to the city, allowing his winning mentality to percolate into the city’s sports fandom.
“I think it’s more fun for me to get a little bit of connection going. I want to identify because if I feel part of the city, my value to be successful for the city increases too, so I think it’s kind of egoistic when you break it down to the real philosophical details,” Müller told Sekeres and Price.
“I want to be part of the city. I feel for the Canucks, and I want the Canucks fans to also feel for us. So we are one city, and we can be proud to have these kinds of teams in the highest leagues, in the highest competitions.”
Now, he hopes to push the Whitecaps to new heights and could start alongside the club’s DPs Ryan Gauld, Brian White and Andres Cubas for the first time on Saturday.
“I’m really calm, and I hope it’s a memorable match,” he added. “My blood pressure is rising. I can feel it now, and if we win this game, and if we get to the next round, it means a lot for us, and that’s what we are working for.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Thomas Muller Looks to Vanquish Whitecaps’ Playoff Demons Against LAFC.
