For just over a week now, Thomas Müller has had a German colleague in Vancouver in the form of Sebastian Schonlau. The 35-year-old is delighted to have the reinforcement, but does not want to slip into a “German comfort zone.” He is taking responsibility, scoring from the spot again after almost five years, and holding back with the DFB team.
Thomas Müller’s debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps against Houston Dynamo was unfortunate. First, his supposed 2-0 goal shortly after coming on as a substitute was disallowed for offside, then the visitors equalized shortly before the end (1-1). Just six days later, last Sunday, he was the man of the moment, scoring the winning goal in the 14th minute of stoppage time from the penalty spot to give the Canadians a 3-2 victory over St. Louis City in a highly intense game.
Müller described the game, which lasted a total of 113 minutes, as “extraordinary” in a media roundtable on Thursday. “Basically, I was always in contact with the coach and know when it might not be possible anymore. But I felt good and was well prepared,” explained the 35-year-old, who played the full 90 minutes.
Müller’s first penalty goal since 2020
Incidentally, this was Müller’s first penalty goal in a competitive match in almost five years. The 2014 World Cup winner last scored from the spot in December 2020 against Atlético Madrid (1-1). “There were, of course, reasons why I was no longer the number one penalty taker at FC Bayern. I have to be honest and say that I lost my touch at some point over the years. The first 30 penalties were fantastic, but the last 10 to 15 were worse.“
In the 2015/16 season alone, he missed four times, after which he was called upon much less frequently. ”It was also because extremely good penalty takers came along,” Müller said, referring to Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane. “Lewa copied my technique at the time and improved it a bit. Despite looking up, he was able to shoot much harder than I could and achieved incredible scores. And after Lewa came Harry relatively quickly, so FC Bayern was very well positioned in that regard.”
In Vancouver, it is now “a different situation” for Müller. “I’m coming into the team as a very experienced player and of course I believe in myself. I’ve been training penalties diligently behind closed doors, I didn’t want to let that go to waste.”
Although the veteran was not assigned as the first penalty taker, Brian White, who was subsequently substituted, had already scored from the spot in stoppage time in the first half, “but I was brought in to take the penalty and take responsibility. At least that’s my understanding.” So Müller stepped up and beat Roman Bürki, whom he had already beaten in October 2015 in Bayern’s 5-1 win over Dortmund.
The 35-year-old now also has a German teammate at his side in the form of former Hamburg player Sebastian Schonlau. The center back remained on the bench on Sunday. “When I first heard about the signing, I thought, ‘Oh no! I wanted to integrate quickly and be thrown in at the deep end,’“ Müller said, giving an insight into his ”mind games.“ Of course, the Bayern legend is also delighted with the new signing, who ”will definitely help Vancouver,“ but ”now I have to be careful not to dodge too often and slip into my German comfort zone.”
However, this comfort zone also has its advantages. “I still have to translate some of my jokes into Canadian English. So it might be good for me to have someone who understands the jokes I’m still struggling with,” Müller said with a smile. “We went out for dinner last night, we get along well so far and have already done a few things together.” Now it’s a matter of “getting started” for both of them – regardless of nationality.
Müller wants to take the lead in communication in English as well. “I’m already used to playing with many international players from my time in Munich, so it’s not unfamiliar to me.” However, he can’t fully share the praise he has received for his English. “I still have to paraphrase too often because I lack the words that I naturally have at my disposal in German.” On the pitch, however, the vocabulary is not that complicated. “I’m not afraid to throw something grammatically awkward into the mix as long as the message comes across as it was intended. I’ll keep at it and hope to continue improving. But body language also plays a big role.“
In Vancouver, Müller wants to understand not only the language, but also the culture surrounding the club. ”At FC Bayern, it was important to me that new players understand a little bit about the history of the club. You have to develop a feel for the people for whom the club is important: What values do they represent and what journey have they already been on?“ To this end, Müller watched a documentary about the Whitecaps’ championship team from 1979, among other things. ”They still played in a different stadium, the cityscape looked completely different – and yet it was still very important for the ‘Village’ at that time to show the big boys from New York who was boss.”
The hope for “something special”
Today, Vancouver is no longer a “village” but a respected cosmopolitan city, yet the Whitecaps have been waiting for a title ever since—with the exception of the Canadian Cup. “We have the hope and the feeling that we can achieve something special. I believe we have a good team. Of course, you always need a bit of luck with injuries, but if we get on a little run, I think we can electrify Vancouver.”
First, however, there is an international break in the USA. It is still too early to assess the DFB team, “as there is still a long way to go and the team sometimes has nothing to do with the one that plays the first World Cup game. It’s more about the form that prevails in the summer,” explained Müller. The former Munich player would welcome a possible comeback by Manuel Neuer, which Lothar Matthäus recently suggested: “I spent my entire career with Manu and certainly owe him one or two titles. It’s obvious that I’m convinced he would be a top choice if he’s fit.” However, it is equally clear that “it is the national coach’s responsibility to decide who he nominates. He must and should not care what the various experts say about it.”
Germany detour for “a few pairs of underwear”
Müller himself will use the break to return to Germany. “I’ll readjust my suitcases for the longer stay, add a few pairs of underwear, and then I’ll be ready for the final sprint of the season.” That starts for the Whitecaps on the night of September 14 (3:30 a.m.) against Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union. The current third-placed team in the Western Conference still has seven league games to play before the decisive playoffs begin in October.