Usually, it’s the Vancouver Canucks that are the talk of the town around these parts. However, amid their struggles, the city’s focus has shifted to a team pushing for their respective conference semi-finals: the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Whitecaps set a franchise record with their best record (18-7-9) this season, finishing second in the Western Conference. Their 63 points tied them with San Diego FC for first in the Conference, but they had one fewer win. The club had an opportunity to solidify first place; however, a 2-1 loss to Dallas FC on the final game of the season saw them finish second. They also advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, but lost 5-0 to Cruz Azul.

A big reason for their ascent this season is the arrival of star German midfielder Thomas Müller.

Müller 36, spent the previous 17 seasons with Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga. During his time in Munich, Müller won 13 league titles and two UEFA Champions League titles, and he made 131 appearances for the German National Team, helping the team capture the FIFA World Cup in 2014. Müller joined the Whitecaps after the club acquired his rights from FC Cincinnati. He made his first appearance on August 17.

In seven games with the Whitecaps, Müller scored seven goals and three assists. However, Müller’s presence has been felt just as much off the pitch as it has on it.

The German has fully embraced living in Vancouver. He has invested his time off the pitch with fans and the media to help grow the game in the Pacific Northwest.

Müller joined Sekeres & Price on Wednesday to discuss the importance of fully embracing the city, the fans and wanting Canucks fans to cheer them on as well:

“It’s because I like it,” Müller shared. “I’m used to having interaction with the city and with the people. I did that in Munich for a long period. I think it’s more fun for me to get a little bit of connection going. I want to identify because if I feel part of the city, my value to be successful for the city increases too. So I think it’s kind of egoistic when you break it down to the real philosophical details. I want to get into it to get a better feel for it. You know, I mean that it’s not just random and maybe in a kind of way senseless what I’m doing. I want to be part of the city. I feel for the Canucks, and I want the Canucks fans also feeling for us. So we are one city, and we can be proud to have these kind of teams in the highest leagues, in the highest competitions.”

It’s safe to say that Müller has accomplished that. BC Place is completely sold out for the Whitecaps’ Western Semi-Final single-elimination game against LAFC on Saturday. Fifty-four thousand five hundred fans will be in attendance, cheering on the Whitecaps as they look to advance to the Western Conference Finals against the winner of San Diego FC and Minnesota United FC.

But that’s not shocking to Müller. This was his mission when coming to Vancouver. To grow the game and play in front of over 50,000 fans:

“Yes, I think so,” Müller said when asked if he believed he’d be playing in front of a sold-out crowd when coming to Vancouver. “Not because I’m not a realistic guy, but I was aiming to get the crowd going. I talked about the crowds and everything with some other guys, and I heard about the Miami game. I don’t know when it was, but I think it was also sold out – for sure, it was because of Messi. I can understand everyone wants to see the greatest player of our game. But this time, it is different. I think this time it’s sold out because of us. I think the main reason is our performance this year, or the performance of the boys.”

Müller shared that he is looking forward to the game and has been counting down the nights since they completed the sweep over Dallas FC on November 1. He added that it was a “great feeling” when he heard that BC Place had sold out in five days.

In his short time with the Whitecaps, Müller has impacted Vancouver soccer fans with his electric play and winning mentality. But Vancouver has also brought a lot of joy to him over the past four months:

“For my Vancouver experience, maybe 70% [of] my job is being a part of this group, and maybe 30% is experiencing a very beautiful city, nice views, mountains, sea and animals.”

Kickoff for one of the biggest games in Whitecaps history is set for 6:30 PM PST this Saturday.

You can watch the full Thomas Müller interview on Sekeres & Price here: