Thomas Muller Ranks MLS Cup Ambitions Against Previous Honors
FORT LAUDERDALE – Nothing matters more to Thomas Müller than MLS Cup as his Vancouver Whitecaps face Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami at Chase Stadium on Saturday.
“I rank it number one, because it’s the only final that we are talking about, and it’s upcoming. I didn’t play it yet,” Müller told reporters in Fort Lauderdale. “At the moment, for me, this final on Saturday is the most important thing in my life.”
The most decorated German soccer player of all time has a storied history against Messi, winning seven of the eight competitive matches between the two. Yet, he doesn’t want that to be the focus of MLS Cup.
“When I look back in the past, I feel very comfortable with that, because that’s already in the books,” the 36-year-old said. “I had a lot of great experiences in these games with my teams, so it was fun. But it doesn’t really matter for Saturday, it’s a new game.”
“It's not about Messi against Thomas Müller... It's Miami against the Whitecaps."
Thomas Müller said he would hunt Messi again, and he got his wish! 🔮
— Major League Soccer 🏆 (@MLS) December 4, 2025
MLS Cup pres. by Audi is Saturday (2:30pm ET) on Apple TV, FOX, & TSN. pic.twitter.com/RWok7eI3NN
Since arriving in Vancouver in August, Müller has changed the mentality of the city’s sports fans, pushed the Whitecaps to new heights of popularity.
At the same time, he’s slotted seamlessly into a midfield in front of U.S. men’s national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and Paraguay’s Andrés Cubas. He has influenced the attack with nine goals and four assists in his first 12 matches across all competitions.
Vancouver are versatile, adaptable and now have Müller’s killer instinct heading into MLS Cup against an Inter Miami side stacked with talent, who they beat twice in the spring Concacaf Champions Cup action.
“It’s about two teams… two teams with a very attractive and good-looking playing style, and it’s a perfect final in my opinion,” the German legend said. “I appreciate being a part of it and this Cup, it’s why we are here, and we want to bring him home.”
Mario Götze Reveals Müller's Secret Weapon
As much as Müller focuses on the future and the potential of becoming the first player to win an MLS Cup and a World Cup, there’s little doubt the 2014 World Cup title with Germany reigns supreme in his career–even if he says otherwise.
Mario Götze, who spent over a decade with Müller on the German national team and scored the 1–0 goal that secured that historic win in Rio de Janeiro 11 years ago, will be tuned in to the final on Saturday.
“His secret weapon?" Götze told MLSSoccer.com. “I would say it’s the resilience he has, the mental resilience. It doesn't matter if he scores or if he misses a chance; the next time he will be there, even in training or in the game, he will score. He just keeps going. And I think that's an amazing trait, and he's very disciplined about it.”
Whitecaps Passion From Afar for MLS Cup
For the Whitecaps, 2025’s success has been eye-opening.
For the first time since 1979, when the club won the North American Soccer League’s Soccer Bowl, the city’s streets have flooded with blue and white and over 20,000 fans are expected at BC Place for an official watch party.
“It's everything we hope for. For us, it's not natural that we have this kind of support. It is not natural that this kind of hype is around the Whitecaps in the city, and we really feel that everybody's behind us,” manager Jesper Sørensen said.
“Sports in general, football in general, is not just played for yourself. It's for creating excitement around it. It's for creating connections around it. It's some of the greatest things, I think and believe, that can make people connected.”
Should the Whitecaps beat Miami for a third time in 2025, they would become the first team to win MLS Cup after qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup final in the same season, adding a new chapter to the history of North America’s longest-running football club.
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