Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Thomas Müller promised to “hunt” Lionel Messi again, revealing that he’s hoping for a MLS Cup matchup with the Argentine’s Inter Miami side.
Müller and Vancouver will have to first find a way past San Diego FC in this Saturday’s Western Conference final before they can dream of a showpiece fixture against either Miami or New York City FC next month.
The German icon won the biggest of games when his national team triumphed in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina and Messi. More than a decade later, that championship hunger hasn’t waned.
“My history with [Messi] forces me to hope for a final,” he told MLS. “To me, Messi is the greatest player we have in this game ... but I will hunt you [Messi] again.”
At 36, Müller is leading the Whitecaps through his first MLS Cup playoffs and into the club’s first-ever appearance in a Western Conference final.
“When you get closer to finals, you get to play better teams,” Müller told assembled media this week. “You play the best teams in the end normally, so it’s always nice to beat the better team. More spectators, more people are watching whether you are getting the job done or not. That fires me up, to be honest. To get the job done when everybody’s watching... That’s it, and that’s what I want to do again and again.”
Vancouver enters Saturday’s matchup off a club-defining win, beating Son Heung-min’s LAFC on penalties after an enthralling 2–2 draw, slaying playoff demons after the Black and Gold ended Vancouver’s 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Now, they sit on the precipice of MLS Cup, with another massive game in a record-breaking season that saw them advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup final, win a fourth-straight Canadian Championship, and set regular-season club records in nearly every category.
“We went through, and everyone will remember that,” Müller said of the win over LAFC. “But nobody remembers the quarterfinals. A quarterfinal is just played to get to the semifinal or to go on holiday. The goal is always to get to the final, and that’s our next step, and that’s what I'm focusing on.”
Whitecaps Embrace Pressure, Friendship
The Whitecaps bring plenty of confidence on the road as they visit a record-chasing San Diego team, who expect a sold-out crowd of over 35,000 at Snapdragon Stadium.
As much as Müller has experienced in critical moments, the run of big games in 2025 has been new ground for many of his teammates. Yet, it’s not something they’re overly concerned about.
“They should feel it. They should feel the pressure, but they should deal with it in the right way,” Müller said. “It’s not about not being attracted to these kinds of emotions; it’s more about how you can use it.
“The good thing in such a reactive game like soccer is when the referee blows the whistle, you don’t have a lot of time to think about anything, so we just play.”
Against San Diego, the Whitecaps look to end the greatest season by an expansion team. The Calafornian outfit are led by MLS Newcomer of the Year Anders Dreyer, who has four goals and an assist in four playoff games after racking 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season.
To do so, they will need the best not only from Müller, but U.S. men’s national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, whose passion and tenacity in midfield have been vital to Vancouver and his ever-improving standing with USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino.
“Pressure, for me, is someone that you create in your own head,” Berhalter said. “I think we’ve dealt with that really well this year, not making it more than it is. We’re playing a soccer game and alongside a bunch of best friends, and we’re just going out there and having a good time.”
Jesper Sørensen’s Adjustments
Luckily for the Whitecaps, adaptations and reliance on systems rather than players have been defining factors in 2025 and will need to continue against San Diego as they deal with injuries and suspensions.
At center back, manager Jesper Sørensen will be unable to draw on MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon, who picked up a red card against LAFC, among others. As such, expect right back Mathías Laborda to slide in alongside midfielder Ralph Priso, who has taken to the central defensive role and thrived in recent weeks.
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— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 26, 2025
Adaptations and depth, though, have been the Whitecaps’ strong suit and will have to be again on Saturday.
“It’s helped us throughout the season that we can do different things, that we have tactical flexibility, we can switch and change things tactically, not just in between games, but actually in games as well,” Sørensen said. “That’s definitely been part of our success this year ... We have some things we can do if we really need to get the game going the way we’d like to.”
Now, they will have to adapt again, with the mouthwatering potential of either a final in front of a sold-out BC Place against New York City, or a date against an Inter Miami side they defeated twice in the Champions Cup, which would also feature a battle between Müller and Messi.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Thomas Muller Sends Warning to Lionel Messi Ahead of Potential MLS Cup Matchup.
