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 (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV).

“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.”

Force multiplier

Even after claiming most of the footballing world’s biggest prizes, from the FIFA World Cup to UEFA Champions League and myriad more team and individual honors across nearly two decades of excellence for club and country, Müller’s competitive fire still burns brightly at the business end of an already historic season for the Whitecaps.

And even after just eight appearances for VWFC, he’s already the centerpiece, in multiple contexts, as the reigning Canadian champions take up the relatively unfamiliar role of legitimate MLS Cup contenders rather than the upstart cameos of years past, thanks to a second-place finish in the Western Conference off the back of a Cinderella run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final in the spring.

“He's been great on and off the field, and I think the biggest thing for me is just how willing he is to improve other players around him. And doesn't matter if you're young, you're older, he just wants to see the group be better,” said midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, sitting at the German’s side on the dais.

“We need him, and it’s that balance – a little bit of give and take; we want to have his back and he has our back. And I think it’s just brought this team cohesion to the highest that we've ever had it. … We want to cap it off with a trophy for sure.”

Off-field impact

Recruited by clubs elsewhere in MLS and around the world, Müller had a wealth of options when his glorious tenure at Bayern Munich drew to a close last spring. His choice of Vancouver surprised many, perceived as an offbeat move to a destination well removed from the sport’s traditional corridors of power and influence, even with the city set to host World Cup matches in 2026.

Slotting smoothly into a playmaking role at the heart of the attack, he has racked up eight goals and four assists during his early days in Vancouver, helping power a 5W-1L-3D surge down the back stretch of the regular season. His sheer star power and surprisingly gregarious personality have markedly boosted the locker-room vibes and collective confidence, and drawn new eyes to the Whitecaps, both at home and abroad.

“He definitely gave back to everybody since he arrived,” said head coach Jesper Sørensen. “Thomas, I said many times, is known for being a champion on the pitch, but he's definitely also a champion outside of the pitch, and I think that makes him very special.

“He's socially very high-skilled with people around him, and knows how he can also affect people around him and blend into a group that's already strong, and not set him apart, but just immediately become one of the player that is high up in the hierarchy, but is not above everybody else, because that's not the guy he wants to be. He wants to be part of the team and wants to be part of the group, and so far, it's worked out very well for him and for us.”

Embodying Vancouver

Meanwhile, the city’s beauty, culture and hospitality – not just inside BC Place, but out on the streets, too – have inspired Müller beyond his own expectations. It all started with a debut that took him aback with its emotional impact, and vindicated his choice for the second-ever club of a storied career.

“If you imagine, you take a choice to get to a new city, to a new club, to a new country, and you score your first goal after two minutes – it was ruled offside, but the feeling was insane,” Müller noted, recalling his ‘Caps debut vs. Houston in August.

“The whole stadium, it got crazy. I've never had fireworks in the stadium! So after two minutes of playing here, there were fireworks because of a goal from my side. So what a better choice you can do?”

Müller had been warned of VWFC’s long periods of struggle in their MLS era, as well as the region’s infamous tendency towards gray, rainy weather. Yet the Cascadian sun has smiled upon him in more ways than one. He’s enjoyed Van City’s culture, its majestic nearby nature, and found a soccer project worthy of diving into.

Now he and his teammates are eager to fire up the town just as their 1979 forbears did.

“We played out [beyond] all expectations so far. So it feels great,” said Müller. “And when I meet people out there in the streets, they're just super positive for the Whitecaps and also to my person. So I feel quite comfortable right now … As Seba said, we want to have this feeling to get the city going. That will be a big achievement for us, to see people going because of us, because of the Whitecaps. That's a big pride for me as well.

“The journey is quite sensational for me, with the team, with the ‘Caps, with the players. We are doing really well,” he noted. “But that was always my goal, to bring something in here. That was also the goal from Axel [club CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster] and Jesper to bring me in. So my job is not done yet, and I'm here to help the ‘Caps, to win the MLS Cup.”

Here Müller caught himself, that trademark mischievous smile flickering across his face as he spotted a moment for a dash of wisecracking humor.

All the narrative talk must be grounded in a focus on the task at hand, he reminded the reporters, and by extension, his team. In this village, a certain sort of fortitude will be required to sustain what they intend to be a lengthy postseason quest.

“But that's the story part of the journey,” he said. “What I'm focused on is grass, the balls. We need balls.”