Thomas Müller crowned his starting debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps with a winning goal. The former Munich player scored from the spot against St. Louis seconds before the final whistle.
The final seconds of stoppage time were ticking away at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver when Dallas’ Joyner fouled Vancouver’s Laborda. The VAR intervened, and it took some time before referee Fotis Bazakos pointed to the spot.
Müller took responsibility and coolly scored the winner for the Canadians (90+14). Nothing else happened in the last three minutes, and after what seemed like an eternity of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle.
“To score the goal here in front of our fans was an incredible feeling, unbelievable,” Müller said afterwards. “The Müller era has officially begun,” his club wrote on X after the 35-year-old’s debut goal, who also captained the Whitecaps on Saturday night.
Vancouver comes back twice
Vancouver showed morale in front of its home crowd, as St. Louis took the lead twice. Former Bundesliga pro Löwen scored in the 13th minute, followed by Klauss in the 73rd minute. But the Whitecaps fought back through White (45+4, penalty) and Rios (79) before Müller put the icing on the cake. The 2014 World Cup winner confidently rounded former BVB goalkeeper Roman Bürki. He then roared with joy and celebrated in typical Müller fashion.
This was Müller’s first goal for his new club. He had already scored on his debut for Vancouver against Houston Dynamo (1-1), but the goal was disallowed for offside.
The Whitecaps remain third in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Western Conference thanks to their 14th win of the season.