Amid the chaos of his first week with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Thomas Müller found a moment to breathe—and it came between the grocery aisles.
Departing on what the 35-year-old has repeatedly called a new “adventure” after 25 years with Bayern Munich, Müller officially began his new chapter on Sunday, playing 30 minutes in his MLS debut in a 1–1 draw against the Houston Dynamo.
While he scored on his first shot only to see it called back for offside, getting into a game finally let his soccer do the talking after a week of travel, media, and adjusting to a new lifestyle that sees him as a continued celebrity in a less soccer-crazed city than Munich.
“The first days were busy, but in a positive way. I learned a lot about the culture, I met some very nice people, and I am enjoying it a lot and I’m excited for more,” Müller said, reflecting on his first days.
“When I walk through the city, it's nice to meet some people cheering for the Whitecaps, but it's also nice to go to the supermarket and buy my stuff, and then I can relax a little bit between the lemons and then the blueberries.”
Over 27,000 fans packed into the lower bowl at BC Place for Müller’s debut, and he arrived through a special entrance with fans packing the streets around the stadium to catch a glimpse of the 2014 World Cup winner.
Although he didn’t start, the Whitecaps scored early through U.S. men’s national team striker Brian White, before Müller entered the match midway through the second half.
The German was quickly involved in playing as a pseudo-No. 10 and partially as a second-striker, and even though his strike didn’t count, it gave him a flavor of what the home crowd could bring.
“The moment when I scored the goal, it was amazing,” he said. “The noise in the stadium and then also the reaction of my teammates, it was a great start for me.”
The 13-time Bundesliga champion was far more than just a presence in that moment as well, as he dropped into half spaces between the defense and midfield with eyes toward setting up his teammates.
“I think he has a high football IQ, so he understands where to position himself and also which spaces to attack,” head coach Jesper Sørensen said of Müller’s debut. “He’s been here for three days. We just want to get him in, integrated into the team as fast as possible, and I think that he has done very well since he came to training sessions. Then tonight, I was very happy with what I saw.”
