Thomas Müller rescues Vancouver Whitecaps with heroic home introduction | OneFootball

By Alex Calabrese

Thomas Müller has officially opened his MLS account, and it couldn’t come at a bigger moment for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

WATCH: Thomas Müller gets off the mark with game-winning PK

Thomas Müller

Midfielder · Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Fourteen minutes into stoppage time of a key Western Conference clash with St. Louis CITY SC, the legendary former German international calmly blasted a penalty kick into the back of the net past former Der Klassiker rival Roman Bürki to secure a dramatic 3-2 win.

“Thomas is a player who, with the career he’s had, will of course create excitement around him,” head coach Jesper Sørensen said postgame. “Of course he will, and if not, then we’re in the wrong business.”

“We couldn’t have put up a better script than today. If we wanted to win, then getting out of trouble and winning in the last minute on a penalty from Thomas, I think the fans got a little bit for their money today.”

Completing the comeback

Vancouver had already clawed their way back from behind twice and led for the first time when Müller deposited his PK in the 104th minute. The goal was the first club goal of his career not scored for a team named FC Bayern Munich, and came in front of the home fans at BC Place in Vancouver.

Saturday night's match was Müller's first start in a Whitecaps kit since he joined the club earlier this month. He finished an otherwise quiet night in the best way possible, making himself the hero with the late winner.

“It was an amazing moment for me,” Müller said. “On one side, we have this pressure because with a penalty, you have a good chance to score. But what happens if you miss? You’re already writing your news, Thomas Müller missed a penalty.”

“I like to have this pressure, and when my teammates were cheering for me, it was a very nice feeling to score this goal in front of our fans.”

Silverware in sight

The win over St. Louis puts the Whitecaps in a strong position near the top of the West. With seven games to go, including one in hand, they are just four points off the conference summit, and stay very alive in the Supporters’ Shield chase.

With the late-summer addition of Müller, Vancouver bolstered an already strong roster and are set for shots at silverware on two fronts, in both MLS and the Canadian Championship.

“Everyone tries to put everything he has, and share his strengths with the team to win something,” Müller said. “I think the whole group is feeling that we are on our way. We are not there, but we are on our way to something special in the coming weeks.”

“We have many players who already played a very good season. We had four All-Stars ... I think these players, we want them to shine as well in the last part of the season.”

The Whitecaps won’t play again for several weeks, due to rescheduled matches and the international break, with their next game not coming until mid-September. They could inch ever closer to an Audi MLS Cup Playoff spot next week, however, if results elsewhere go their way.

“In the end, you have to win the games you’re in,” Müller said. “I never played in playoffs, so I have no experience in playoffs. I have knockout stages in Champions League. In my mind, I tried to think about it, maybe this is similar.”

“The teams when we get there are really good. We have to be humble, and we have to be also very confident. I think we need to get a little bit cleaner in front of the goal… to not only dominate games, we need goals to win games. But that’s in the future, I have no [crystal ball]!”

WATCH: At the death! Thomas Müller PK lifts Whitecaps over St. Louis