VANCOUVER — Thomas Muller scored a hat trick on his birthday and the Vancouver Whitecaps clinched a playoff spot with a dominant 7-0 win over the visiting Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
The 36-year-old Muller converted a pair of first-half penalty kicks, then added an assist and a goal from open play in the second half.
Emmanuel Sabbi also scored twice for the ‘Caps (15-6-7) as the club secured a post-season berth for the third year in a row.
Mathias Laborda and Rayan Elloumi each added a goal, and ‘keeper Yohei Takaoka stopped two on-target shots to record his Major League Soccer-leading 12th clean sheet of the season.
The Union (17-7-6) came into the game sitting atop the league standings but the ‘Caps were the dominant side for much of the game, much to the delight of the sellout crowd of 26,031 fans.
Vancouver controlled 59.2 per cent possession, outshot Philadelphia 20-8 and held a 12-2 edge in on-target shots as they earned their biggest margin of victory ever in regular-season MLS play.
Sebastian Berhalter set up the first goal of the night, floating a ball in off a corner kick. Laborda jumped up to put a header in past Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick in the 18th minute.
The goal — the wing back’s fourth across all competitions this season — gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead.
Six minutes later, Canadian midfielder Ali Ahmed sent a slick cross into Sabbi and he fired a quick shot into the top of the net to boost the home side’s lead to 2-0. Sabbi celebrated with a backward flip.
The ‘Caps continued to dominate the game and added to the cushion in the 30th minute after Philadelphia’s Jesus Bueno was called for a hand ball inside the penalty area.
Muller, playing in his third MLS game, stepped up to take the kick, then sent a rolling right-footed shot into the bottom of the Philadelphia goal.
The Union briefly appeared to eat into the deficit in the 40th minute when right back Alejandro Bedoya stepped around Laborda and sliced a pass to Mikael Uhre at the top of the six-yard box. The striker wasted no time tapping a shot in past Takaoka.
Players filtered back to midfield as officials signalled the goal would be reviewed for a possible offside and, after looking at the video, referee Allen Chapman announced Bedoya had, in fact, been out of position on the play. The goal was waived off and Vancouver’s 3-0 lead stood.
Muller added to the ‘Caps tally once again in first-half stoppage time after Ahmed was tripped up at the top of the penalty area.
The German soccer legend stepped up to the spot and sent another low shot into the bottom left corner of the net for his second goal of night.
He added his first MLS assist midway through the second half, ticking a pass to Sabbi at the top of the penalty area. The American forward collected the ball and launched a rocket that sailed into the top corner of the Philadelphia net in the 61st minute.
The goal — Sabbi’s eighth across all competitions this year — upped Vancouver’s lead to 5-0.
Elloumi added to the score in the 80th minute, heading in a shot off a Berhalter cross for his first-ever MLS goal.
The 17-year-old homegrown player came off the bench for Daniel Rios in the 68th minute to make his home debut for the ‘Caps.
Muller put away Vancouver’s seventh goal of the night in the 88th minute, heading a shot in past Rick from in tight for his first MLS goal from open play.
Muller signed with the Whitecaps last month following 17 storied seasons with Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. He scored 250 goals across all competitions, helping the club to 33 titles, including 13 league championships.
The attacking midfielder has 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.
NOTES
Vancouver played without star striker Brian White, who is recovering from a hamstring injury. … The Whitecaps scored four first-half goals for the first time in their MLS history. … The game marked Vancouver’s third straight sell out — another first for the club in the MLS era.
UP NEXT
Vancouver: Host Canadian Premier League side Forge FC in the second leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal on Tuesday. The ‘Caps return to MLS play on Sept. 20 when they visit Sporting Kansas City.
Philadelphia: Visit Nashville SC on Tuesday for a U.S. Open Cup match.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
