It was Müller-mania at BC Place, but the Vancouver Whitecaps’ party was spoiled by a stoppage-time equalizer, ending in a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo.
Brian White scored from the penalty spot to give the Whitecaps the lead, but Artur quashed their hopes with a 91st-minute goal.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen said with games like this, “it’s a feeling like you lost the game even though you didn’t.”
The Whitecaps started fast. Jayden Nelson breezed past Griffin Dorsey on the left, cutting inside and running the byline into the box.
The Dynamo defender could not get the ball but did haul down the Canadian winger as referee Jon Freemon pointed to the spot for the penalty.
Brian White stepped up, coolly slotting in his 19th goal across all competitions, giving the Whitecaps the lead in the sixth minute.
The rest of the first half was a series of frustrations. The Whitecaps were hemmed into their half as the outside players of Nelson and Emmanuel Sabbi were isolated from the ball.
“We had difficulty controlling the game because we were making too many mistakes on the ball,” Sørensen said. “The ball was not playing fast enough and with the quality.”
But the home side found its footing in the second half. The play was more fluid, and attackers were getting on the ball in better positions.
The 61st minute saw the debut of Thomas Müller to a BC Place eruption of noise. Ali Ahmed also returned from injury, his first start since the Gold Cup.
And it only took a few minutes for the man they call the Raumdeuter to make his presence known.
White received the ball inside the 18-yard box and played it back to Mathías Laborda. Laborda tapped it over to Müller at the top of the box.
The one-touch strike beat Jonathan Bond as it sailed into the lower corner. However, White was judged to have been in an offside position when he initially touched the ball to begin the sequence.
“Unfortunate for him,” Sørensen said. “It could have been a magic moment…but a narrow offside, that’s what can happen in football.”
But the Whitecaps were not deterred. Sabbi, Nelson and Müller continued to be threats. Even the midfield got into the action as Sebastian Berhalter unleashed a hard shot that forced Bond into a save.
While the one-goal lead stood the 90-minute test, it could not hold off stoppage time. Houston found their equalizer a minute into the added minutes.
Amine Bassi pounced on a Whitecaps giveaway and played the ball into Artur. The strike was low, beating Takaoka at the near post in the 91st minute.
Neither side was able to find a winner with the remaining time, so they had to settle for a draw.
“I think we played a good second half. Where we really dominated, we played higher up the pitch. We had better flow in the ball, and I think we had good movements. But we couldn’t really kill off the game,” Sørensen said.
Müller debuts for the Whitecaps
Müller was given the final 30 minutes to show what he could do. He was influential in the match, scoring a belter of a goal that was inevitably chalked off, organizing his teammates and moving the team forward.
“There’s, of course, high expectations for a player like Thomas coming to the MLS, playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps. First and foremost, it’s about blending in together with his teammates. I think he did very well. I think he has a high football IQ, so he understands where to position himself, which spaces to attack,” Sørensen said.
Müller said he felt “mixed feelings” about his debut.
“The moment where I scored the goal was amazing, the noise in the stadium and the noise of the reaction of my teammates,” he mused. “It was a great start for me.”
Müller completed 27 touches on the ball, finishing 19 of his 23 passes. He was also 100 per cent in his duels, tackles and long passes.
“We have to take our game and improve it over the next couple of weeks,” Müller said. “I’m now fresh into this team. I’m new into the league. I need a few weeks to figure out what’s right or wrong but to be honest, I felt very good after this game.”
Up next
The Whitecaps are back in action on Saturday, August 23, when they will face St. Louis CITY at BC Place. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.
