When Thomas Müller arranged for his parents to come out to Vancouver for his birthday, his message was clear: It was matchday, before it was a birthday.
Playing in front of his parents for the first time in a non-Germany or FC Bayern Munich kit on Saturday, he put together quite the 36th birthday celebration, scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist in Vancouver’s 7-0 trouncing of the Supporters’ Shield-leading Philadelphia Union.
“I told my parents first of all, I have not birthday, I have matchday, that’s what I'm looking for,” Müller said. “But, I know if you have a birthday, everyone gives you good wishes and I had a lot of messages, also from Germany all day.
“It was a great team effort, to be honest. Philadelphia was top of MLS, and to win 7–0, that’s a very special day.”
The performance saw the Whitecaps clinch a spot in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs with six games remaining, and elevated them to third in MLS on points-per-game, keeping their hopes of chasing the Supporters’ Shield alive as well.
It also marked Vancouver’s biggest win since joining MLS in 2011 and the most goals Philadelphia had conceded in a single match, and Müller became the first MLS player to net a hat-trick on a birthday.
“We wanted to come out strong, and I also think that this was a great test for us. There was a little bit of a playoff vibe in this before coming into this game,” Vancouver head coach Jesper Sørensen said.
“It’s difficult not getting carried away after this, of course, when we've seen what we've seen and won 7–0. The players came out really strong.”
It had been three weeks since the Whitecaps last took to the pitch due to the international break and a rescheduled match against Orlando City SC, but they showed no rust in getting out to a 3–0 lead within 30 minutes.
For Müller, the output brought him to four goals and two assists in three MLS matches, but he was far from the only star.
Ali Ahmed, who made his first start since the Whitecaps’ loss to Cruz Azul in the Concacaf Champions Cup final on June 1, put up an early assist, and American winger Emmanuel Sabbi scored a brace. 17-year-old Canadian forward Raayan Elloumi also scored on his home debut.
With electrifying runs down the left wing, Ahmed brought the form he has shown with the Canadian men’s national team to the Whitecaps, sparking the trouncing, and laying the potential for the rest of the season.
“Ali has been good the entire season. He has been missed, but in the absence of Ali, a lot of other players step forward and really also taken a group,” Sørensen said of Ahmed, who played significant minutes for Canada in wins over Wales and Romania last week.
“We were very fortunate that he got an hour in both games for Canada, because that’s really what he needed to elevate himself and his fitness. He was unbelievable.“
