Müller, Son to face off in MLS Playoffs

The Los Angeles Football Club advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals after besting Austin FC in a best-of-three first-round matchup.

The Black & Gold will now travel up north to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in a single-elimination match. Given that Vancouver finished higher (2nd place) in the MLS Western Conference table at the end of the regular season, they have the home-field advantage over Los Angeles (3rd place).

The two sides battled twice during the 2025 regular season, but each side was without its superstar signings: Vancouver’s Thomas Müller and LAFC’s Son Heung-Min, both of whom joined the MLS in August.

Müller has registered nine goals and four assists since coming to the U.S. The German legend spent the previous stretch of his storied career with FC Bayern Munich, winning numerous trophies throughout his 25 years with the Bundesliga giant.

His most memorable highlight since joining the MLS may have been when he single-handedly secured a crucial three points for his squad in the second-to-last match of the regular season. In the 97th minute against Orlando City FC, Müller fired a strike outside of the 18-yard box to give Vancouver the win.

For LAFC, Son has registered 10 goals and four assists in just 11 starts. Before his signing over the summer, the South Korean international had a successful 10 years with English side Tottenham Hotspur, where he won his first-ever major trophy in May. He also captained the team to a 2025 Europa League final victory.

Son notably took the MLS by storm back in September when he scored his first-ever hat trick for LAFC against Real Salt Lake.

The spotlight will primarily be on both of these stars come Sunday night, but how will each side set up tactically?

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo has tweaked his tactics several times since Son’s arrival. However, it seems as though he has settled on a 3-5-2 formation that utilizes Son and star winger Denis Bouanga as the side’s main source of offensive production.

Additionally, LAFC is known for giving up possession to maintain a solid defensive structure and primarily relying on creating chances off counterattacks.

Vancouver has looked solid in all areas of the pitch throughout the 2025 season and broke club records in the process. Vancouver set new regular-season benchmarks in points (63), wins (18), goals scored (66), and goal difference (+28). Since the addition of Müller, Vancouver has seen a surprising improvement in expected goals allowed, going from 1.25 per game to 1.10.

One of the biggest questions Vancouver has to answer heading into the match is how they plan on nullifying LAFC’s attack, spearheaded by Son and Bouanga.

“From Vancouver’s standpoint, your gameplan has to be: dare someone else from LAFC to beat you beyond Son and Bouanga,” said Maurice Edu, MLS match analyst on Apple TV. “Dare someone else, besides those two, to be the match winner, to be the decision-maker.”

Edu’s point aligns with the idea that LAFC’s depth pieces must be tested under pressure, rather than allowing their stars to dictate the match. Vancouver may look to dare young forward Nathan Ordaz, who was given the start in LAFC’s second playoff match against Austin FC, after coming on as a substitute and providing the winning goal in the first game.

Both sides are going into this match having swept their first-round opponents. Vancouver will look to the home crowd support as a boost in its most important fixture of the year, while LA will turn to its star attacking duo, as well as its sound defensive form, to claw out a road playoff win and continue its 2025 MLS Cup aspirations.

Müller and Son are players who have reached the sport’s greatest heights, but Nov. 22 will decide which star comes out on top.