Thomas Müller’s arrival in British Columbia is a decent moment to start a story about his MLS adventure.
Not because of chronological order, however, so much as one of the videos he watched on the long trip from Europe, and what it reveals about the German legend as he prepares to lead the resurgent Vancouver Whitecaps into the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, starting with a Round One Best-of-3 Series clash with FC Dallas on Sunday (4:30 pm PT | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV, 730 CKNW).
“On my flight, my first flight, to Vancouver,” Müller told a crowd of media during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, “I watched this documentary from ‘79.”
The short film, released earlier this year, is called “From Village to Victory: The story of Vancouver Whitecaps’ 1979 Championship run,” a retrospective of the original Whitecaps’ underdog capture of that year’s North American Soccer League title, and how profoundly they charmed the community, building a cherished soccer legacy in Rain City that continues to this day.
The title refers to a turn of phrase from television commentator Jim McKay, who’d said Vancouver “became a deserted village as everyone huddled indoors” to watch the 'Caps upset the star-studded, heavily-favored New York Cosmos on their playoff run. “Village” became a tongue-in-cheek badge of honor for Whitecaps faithful amused by their US neighbors’ perceptions, a theme Müller quickly grasped as he educated himself on his new club.
“It was really nice to see what can happen with a city, maybe at former times with a village, if there is success, if you win against maybe bigger cities,” he continued. “And that's what we want to do.”
