Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Thomas Mueller made his Major League Soccer debut on Sunday as a second-half substitute for Vancouver Whitecaps in a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo that left the Germany great with “mixed feelings” after he had a goal disallowed for offside.
Vancouver were up 1-0 courtesy of Brian White’s sixth-minute penalty when the former Bayern Munich striker Mueller entered the contest to a massive ovation in the 61st minute. Mueller, a World Cup-winner with Germany whose storied tenure at Bayern included 13 Bundesliga titles, had made his way into Vancouver’s BC Place stadium through a throng of excited supporters, high-fiving and shaking hands as he went.
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The Whitecaps had officially unveiled their new signing on Thursday, a week after he inked a deal through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026. The crowd of 26,301 stood and cheered when he was introduced before kickoff, and Mueller applauded fans in return.
Minutes after entering the game, Mueller blasted a ball into the back of the net, but it was ruled offside. “Mixed feelings, mixed feelings,” the 35-year-old said. “The result is disappointing, to be honest. But, yeah, I came in at my first moment directly with my first goal here. The crowd was going crazy, but then it was taken off for offside.”
“We have to take the next steps in the next game,” he added after seeing Houston’s Artur grab the equalizer with a long-range blast in the first minute of second-half injury time. “But I’m very happy to be here. I think the crowd was amazing.”
The draw left Vancouver in third place in the Western Conference on 46 points, six behind conference leaders San Diego and one back of Minnesota. San Diego moved to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings for best overall record, ahead of Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati on goal difference, with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.
“We had to win it clear,” Mueller said. “We had to get big chances. But in the end, yeah, it’s soccer and it can happen.” He was happy to have his first MLS match under his belt and looking forward to settling in after a whirlwind first week.
“I’m happy now that my first game is in the books,” said the German, who joined Bayern’s youth program in 2000 and then called the club home for 25 years. “I can start next week, just a regular week,” he said. “I just have to settle down today after this game in my apartment and think about what happened this week — it was crazy stuff.”
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