Thomas Müller Eyes First Canadian Cup Final with Whitecaps
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By Kaus Pandey
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Summary:
- German soccer star Thomas Muller will lead Vancouver Whitecaps in a decisive Canadian Championship semifinal.
- Tuesday’s clash against Forge FC follows a 2-2 first-leg draw.
- The winner will move on to face Vancouver FC or Atlético Ottawa in October’s final.
After spending more than 17 seasons playing for Bayern Munchen, where he put his name on 250 goals and lifted 33 titles above his head, 36-year-old icon Thomas Müller is getting ready for a new challenge.
The Weilheim in Oberbayern native, who also owns a prestigious Golden Boot and is no stranger to the feeling of touching the World Cup, is getting ready for a fresh challenge.
On Tuesday, he and his current team, the Vancouver Whitecaps, will host Forge FC in the second leg of a Canadian Championship semifinal series. The stakes are high, as the team that will come out with flying colors will get to try their luck at grabbing the Voyageurs Cup.
Muller: “It’s a Decisive Game”
This is the first time Muller, who joined the Whitecaps just last month as a free agent with no transfer fee, will play in the Canadian Championship. However, he knows Cup tournaments very well.
“I think Cup football means that the pressure is on, especially in the second leg” he explained in an interview on Monday. He went on to describe the game as a “decisive” one in the knockout stage, emphasizing the need to “be ready for it”.
The player took the opportunity to express his excitement for playing his first Canadian Cup game for his new team, saying they were “well prepared” and finding their rhythm “more and more”
Tuesday’s winner will play against Vancouver FC or Atletico Ottawa in the final game scheduled for October.
Clash of Two Strong Teams
On August 13, the first half of the semifinal series between the two sides resulted in a 2-2 draw in what Forge (14-2-7 in CPL play) head coach Bobby Smyrniotis called a “hectic” game.
They came at us with different types of structures, much more aggressive in the first half. And after the 65th minute, 70th minute, that dropped off from both teams, I think, at that point in the game. We’ve got to hold ourselves to our standards and play football against what’s a very good team in Vancouver.
Forge FC, considered the heavyweights of the season, experienced some hiccups recently, going 1-2-0 across its last three games. This includes a 2-1 loss to Valour FC just last week.
On the other hand, the Caps, who took home the Canadian Championship title for three consecutive years, continue to be confident in their skills following a crushing 7-0 win against Philadelphia Union on Saturday, a result that boosted their league record to 15-6-7 and Müller scoring a hattrick.
Forge captain Kyle Bekker, however, continues to have faith in his team, calling Tuesday’s game
Just a matter of being present in that moment, being up for the task at hand, knowing what it’s all about, but not letting it consume you.
