By The Canadian Press

Whitecaps star Thomas Muller named MLS player of the matchday after birthday bonanza

Sep 15, 2025 | 2:03 PM

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Whitecaps star Thomas Muller has been named Major League Soccer’s player of the matchday following his hat trick performance on Saturday.

The German legend converted two penalty kicks, scored once from open play and contributed an assist in Vancouver’s 7-0 rout of the league-leading Philadelphia Union.

Muller’s offensive onslaught came on his 36th birthday with his parents in the sold-out crowd of 26,031.

“I’m happy to provide some numbers to my team,” he said after training on Monday. “And I’m happy that we’re more and more seeing also the development. I think we have to take more steps to be ready for the playoffs, but I think we’re on a good way to it.”

Six Whitecaps earned team-of-the-week honours this week, including Muller, head coach Jesper Sorensen, forward Emmanuel Sabbi, midfielders Ali Ahmed and Sebastian Berhalter and defender Mathias Laborda.

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Sabbi had two goals on Saturday, while Laborda scored one. Berhalter registered three assists and Ahmed had one helper.

The victory earned Vancouver (15-6-7) a playoff spot for the third year in a row.

Muller now has four goals and one assist in three MLS games since signing with the ‘Caps last month.

The attacking midfielder previously spent 17 storied seasons with Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga where he scored 250 goals across all competitions and helped the club to 33 titles, including 13 league championships.

He’s also excelled in international play, winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany and taking home the Golden Boot from the 2010 World Cup after notching five goals and three assists.

Vancouver will host Canadian Premier League side Forge FC in the second leg of a Canadian Championship semifinal series Tuesday. The ‘Caps will return to league play Saturday when they visit Sporting Kansas City.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.

The Canadian Press