VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Nestled below the Coast Mountains, BC Place can feel small in the demanding mystique of Vancouver’s natural beauty.
The resplendent peaks defining the skyline helped inspire Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s name before they kicked off in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1974, but since joining MLS in 2011, the Whitecaps have yet to reach a pinnacle moment.
“I didn’t know anything about the city when the job first came up. I knew it hosted the Vancouver 2010 [Winter] Olympics,” CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster told MLSSoccer.com, recalling his arrival.
“It's a beautiful place, and that can also be helpful sometimes to attract players.”
Beginning of something new
In 2025, things have changed. For the first time since finishing third in the Western Conference in 2015, the 'Caps have broken out as one of the league's elite, currently sitting sixth in a packed race for the Supporters’ Shield.
They also made noise on the international stage, advancing to the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final and taking down Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami in the process, to become only the third-ever Canadian club to do so.
In a season filled with so many positives under first-year head coach Jesper Sørensen, Vancouver weren't content and kept their foot on the gas. The 'Caps made their biggest splash yet in August, signing Bayern Munich and Germany icon Thomas Müller.
With a new coach, a refreshed outlook, and a marquee superstar for the first time, the Whitecaps appear closer than ever to that elusive rise to the Major League Soccer summit with just over a month to go before the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Long-term vision
For Schuster, it’s been a remarkable turnaround.
Soon after he first joined from German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 following the 2019 campaign, the club played out of Real Salt Lake’s and Portland Timbers’ facilities due to border issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, they have won three straight Canadian Championships – and will play for a fourth on Oct. 1 – and have become the MLS Cup challenger so many dreamed they could be.
“The club was very clear; they didn’t believe in a quick turnover. They didn't believe in something magical happening overnight,” Schuster said, assuming the role after Vancouver finished last in the Western Conference in 2019.
“I believe in building something, and I believe in developing, and that also has to happen sustainably, so it is not a one-hit wonder at the end, and I know that it takes time.”
He's brought in club-defining talents, such as captain Ryan Gauld and, more recently, Müller, a decorated European legend.
He has also made shrewd MLS transactions like trading with the New York Red Bulls for US men's national team striker Brian White in 2021, paving the way for White to become the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have continued to elevate young talents to national teams, like CanMNT winger Ali Ahmed as well as USMNT and MLS All-Star midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who are both aiming for FIFA 2026 World Cup roster spots.
Although each season has brought progress, all have ended short of their MLS Cup goals, leading to further tinkering to bring the club to the level they’re at in 2025.
New Identity
As things have developed, the Whitecaps have forged a steadfast and rising identity.
Berhalter has seen plenty of it. Arriving in Vancouver in 2022 after brief tenures with the Columbus Crew and Austin FC, the then 20-year-old came into a team that didn’t know what it was about.
Under Schuster, that’s slowly changed. The club has a defined mission, has brought more silverware within sight, and now Müller is a big part of that equation.
“When I first came, we didn't really know our identity, we didn't really know what we were about,” Berhalter said, having seen what established MLS success looked like in Columbus. “We’re a group that has a humble and hardworking attitude, and no one's trying to be bigger than anyone else.
"Even Müller is someone who just wants to be one of the guys.”
Among that, the ‘Caps have become a controlling team, with central midfielders like Berhalter, Designated Player Andrés Cubas, and others playing critical roles in changing the tactical outlook through each match.
“Now we're a club that wants to compete for trophies, wants to be top four, and it's clear now... the performance of the team this year has elevated the entire club, and everyone has had to step up.”
Bold moves
Part of that turnaround came ahead of the 2025 season, with Schuster’s boldest move yet.
After years of progress, the club parted ways with head coach Vanni Sartini, replacing the effervescent Italian with a relatively unknown figure in Sørensen, a soft-spoken Dane. It came with hopes of progress, but immense risk, with a roster that had hinted at a special future.
“It was about our development, all our analytics, about what we need for the next step, how do we grow from here, and how we can compete for a top-four position in the Western Conference,” Schuster said. “The belief was that we need fresh energy and some new thoughts from outside.”
Success with Sørensen came quickly. The Whitecaps lost just one of their first 16 regular-season contests and soundly defeated Miami over two legs in the CCC semifinals.
Through that series, they played in front of a record crowd at BC Place and chartered supporters down to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to close out the cup tie.
Although the final against Cruz Azul didn’t go to plan, the run was a moment that gave the ‘Caps a glimpse of what success could look like.
“I was just so proud of the city, and so proud to be part of the city,” Berhalter said. “The city deserves a team to be making runs like that... slowly but surely, we have been a team that's a real contender, and to see all those fans, especially the Miami games, was awesome.”
The Raumdeuter changes everything
Schuster couldn’t quite believe it when it popped up on his phone – he had to take a screenshot.
What once seemed like an impossible fantasy had suddenly become the biggest signing in Vancouver sporting history: Despite all odds, he helped land Müller, the 2014 World Cup champion with Germany, 18-time Bundesliga winner with FC Bayern Munich, and a player who helped define a position, earning himself the nickname “The Raumdeuter,” or space interpreter in German.
“It was too good to believe.... I took a screenshot of [the confirmation] and sent it to my inner circle and said it's true, it's real, guys,” Schuster recalled. “It has helped the club in a lot of areas, but we also know now the work is still only ahead, and we also need to continue to perform.
“Thomas was the number one pick for us, because in the way we do things here and the way we have to do things here, the player also had to fit with us, and that's true for our two DPs, [Ryan Gauld] and [Andrés Cubas], and now Müller too.”
Müller marked the club's first superstar signing and a clear message of their MLS Cup intentions after falling short in Concacaf Champions Cup.
The opportunity to bring him in also presented perfectly, with his quick-witted demeanour, leadership qualities, hunger to win, and central dominance fitting within the club’s newfound identity, tactics, and dreams.
It’s taken little time for Müller to endear himself to the fanbase. From crowds welcoming him at the airport, to a sellout streak and an electrifying start that saw him become the first player to score a hat-trick on his birthday, he has, in many ways, already been the perfect signing.
“I know that a player with my career, coming to Vancouver, created a little bit of hype, and we want to stay on the hype train as long as possible,” Müller said during his introductory press conference.
“We want to create something special for the Whitecaps this season and also for the city. I watched the documentary from 1979 [when Whitecaps FC won the NASL Soccer Bowl]... and what was going on in the city at this time, and then maybe we can create something new.”
Müller’s quick embrace
Over the last 20 years, few faces have been as synonymous with German soccer as Müller, and fewer personalities have garnered as much attention, with his comedic nature, and 250 goals scored with FC Bayern – the third most in club history.
Almost instantly, he approached Vancouver not only as his latest footballing foray, but as a new adventure.
He’s already cycled around the city’s many protected bike lanes and famous Stanley Park Seawall, has beaten his teammates at golf, gone fishing, and promoted it all on his personal social media channels.
While the city played a key role in his attraction to the Whitecaps, it was a conversation with Sørensen and the hopes of a major role on the pitch that sold him on joining the club. Unlike other potential destinations, winning was going to be a key focus, and he was going to take on a preeminent role.
“It's not about winning titles in the past, it's winning titles in the future, that's what motivates me,” Müller said. “I was always a competitive guy my whole life, and my love is to play soccer, and my body feels too good, too good to retire [even at my stage of my career].”
“If you are always smiling, it's always a good signal. I’m enjoying the time on the pitch, and I’m enjoying the time off the pitch as well.”
Playoff hopes
Vancouver have never seen anything like Müller when it comes to being a serial winner. Now, the hope is that over the remainder of 2025 and through the end of 2026, should the club exercise their option next year, he can bring that winning to Canada’s West Coast.
Schuster, who leads both the Whitecaps’ soccer operations and business, knows that Müller can be the beginning of greater momentum for the club across the board.
“We have put the club in a position that Müller considered this club and signed with us,” he said. “We are a club that is doing a great job in connecting with fans and using this momentum, but this has to be our new sustainable level. We have to build from here.”
For Müller, it will be a new challenge of playoffs, and for the Whitecaps, a chance to take on a run that brings them to a peak, like the ones that hang over BC Place – while potentially inspiring a new generation of supporters.
“I have no experience in the playoffs. I had knockout stages in the [UEFA] Champions League, and maybe this is similar, and the teams we get there, stage by stage, they're really good ... We have to be humble, but we also have to be very confident at the same time,” Müller said.
“We don't stop, and that's the message we want to send to each of us, first of all internally, but also to the other teams. We won't stop until the last minute, and that should be our mentality for the rest of the season and also for the future.”
