Vancouver Whitecaps FC training sessions have felt a bit different lately.
Just ask German legend Thomas Müller, who takes center stage against LAFC and Son Heung-Min in Saturday's Western Conference Semifinal at a sold-out BC Place (9:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV).
“The tension increased a little bit,” Müller told Calen Carr on Through Lines.
“You have to try to keep it in a positive way, but for sure, in some kind of way, you also get a little bit nervous. But it’s not bad because then you know it’s worth a lot, the value for these games. Not only for us, but for the families, for the fans, for the whole city.”
Battle of global superstars
The match should be a spectacle.
It’s a perennial powerhouse in LAFC, a club that's won MLS Cup and two Supporters’ Shields since 2019, against a Whitecaps side chasing their first league trophy.
There's even a clash of styles – LAFC are lethal on the counterattack, led by Son and Denis Bouanga, against a Vancouver side that creates chances in possession.
But the biggest storyline is about the game’s biggest stars – Müller for Vancouver and Son for LAFC.
“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. That's what it’s about,” Müller said.
“And 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.”
It’s not the first time the global superstars have met on the pitch; they’ve played each other in the German Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup.
But this is their first meeting in MLS since their high-profile summer transfers, Müller arriving as a Bayern Munich legend and Son joining after a storied career with Tottenham Hotspur.
“I know it and I like it, this kind of game. But in the end, I think both are very focused on their actions on the pitch. That's just the outside game, and I was always enjoying it during all my career, also enjoyed the game with the media and with the fans,” Müller said.
“But when the ref blows the whistle, you're playing your game. You're trying to get in your spots, in your sweet spots, as I already mentioned, and try to avoid that Sonny gets his shots off.”
Another clash of titans?
Müller also knows another showdown of global icons is potentially on the horizon when it comes to MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 6.
With Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF set to visit FC Cincinnati on Sunday (5 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV) in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, both World Cup-winning legends could face each other with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy on the line.
“If you see him playing and working so hard and so long and so consistent on this level, it's just unbelievable, and I admire it a lot,” Müller said of Messi. “But my history with him forces me to hope for a final against Miami."
MLS Cup hunt
Few players in the world know what it means to win trophies more than Müller. He's the most decorated German player of all time with 35 trophies, including the 2014 World Cup.
He knows what it would represent for the Whitecaps to possibly win their first MLS Cup, capping their incredible first season under head coach Jesper Sørensen.
“For the people and for the fan base, I think it's different, a little bit different, but I think they also will enjoy these kinds of games and the journey to the cup. But the cup is only the symbol, I think, for the journey,” Müller said.
“I'm more focused about the story behind it, and the story you're living in, rather than just a piece of metal or silverware – I don't know how you call it, or just a cup.
“I was never chasing the cups. I was chasing this winning feeling.”
