Alex Carey will feature for South Australia but it’s the other four teams who are vying for a spot in the final

Alex Malcolm13-Feb-2024Marnus Labuschagne will get his first taste of captaincy at domestic level when he leads Queensland in their final Marsh Cup game of the season against South Australia.Labuschagne, 29, has never captained at professional level before and will get the chance to lead Queensland at Karen Rolton Oval with state captain Usman Khawaja and vice-captain Jimmy Peirson both resting from the clash.Khawaja is resting ahead of the New Zealand Test tour despite having not played since the Brisbane Test against West Indies which finished on January 28 and he is unlikely to play until Australia’s first Test of the series against New Zealand starting on February 29 in Wellington.Peirson has a knee complaint and is being managed ahead of the Sheffield Shield clash starting in Adelaide on Friday with 25-year-old wicketkeeper Dylan McLachlan to make his List A debut after strong performances at club and 2nd XI level.Labuschagne was one of only two players under 30 in Australia’s last Test XI and was one of only three in Australia’s ODI World Cup winning team, with Travis Head subsequently turning 30 in December. Australia haven’t developed a wide group of prospective leaders under 30 although Head has been elevated to the co vice-captaincy of the Test team this summer.Labuschagne was set to captain Australia A against New Zealand A in the three-match 50-over series back in September last year but was called up to the ODI tour of South Africa with Victoria Shield captain Will Sutherland taking the reins.Alex Carey is set to feature for South Australia having not played since the Brisbane Test. Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was called into Australia’s T20I squad, may now be available having not been selected in Perth. Queensland fast bowler Xavier Bartlett is unavailable due to being involved with the Australia side.South Australia batter Henry Hunt is also set to miss the remainder of the season after breaking his nose and fracturing his jaw in a fielding mishap during their loss to Victoria at the Junction Oval last week. Hunt was struck in the face while attempting to take a catch and is due to undergo surgery on Thursday.Queensland and South Australia can’t make the Marsh Cup final as they occupy the bottom two spots on the table with one game remaining. Victoria and New South Wales face each other in a top-of-the-table clash at North Sydney Oval on Wednesday with the winner likely to host the final. But defending champions Western Australia, who are aiming for a hat-trick of titles, have a chance of clinching second spot when they face Tasmania in Hobart, who also retain a mathematical hope of making the final depending on results.Australia allrounder Cameron Green will not play for WA but is likely to feature in the Shield clash starting on Friday in Hobart. WA could name several debutants with offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli, young quick Bryce Jackson and experienced Midland-Guildford batter Keaton Critchell all named in a squad of 13. Critchell is not contracted but made twin centuries for WA’s 2nd XI against Tasmania’s 2nd XI in a four-day game last week.

Evan Ferguson made a blistering start at AS Roma, scoring four goals and grabbing an assist a day after joining on loan from Brighton.

Ferguson scored four goals on debutScored a 24-minute hat-trick in the first halfRoma thrashed Serie D side UniPomezia 9-0Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ferguson wasted no time announcing himself in Italy, scoring a stunning four goals and providing an assist on his debut for Roma in a 9-0 thrashing of Serie D side UniPomezia. His hat-trick came inside just 24 minutes, and he ended the game with five direct goal involvements. The Irish striker joined Roma on loan from Brighton two days ago, and the deal includes an option to buy worth around €38 million (£32m/$41m).

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The move to Roma offers the 20-year-old a fresh chance to rediscover the form that made him one of the Premier League’s brightest young prospects. Injuries and a loss of confidence saw his progress stall, with just one goal to his name since November 2023. The Yellow and Reds' new head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, has a strong track record of getting the best out of underperforming players, and Ferguson's explosive debut will boost hopes that he can thrive in Serie A.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ferguson made his first-team debut for the Seagulls at just 16 years old and quickly drew attention from top clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea, with his value once soaring above €118m (£100m/$129m). He impressed during the 2022-23 season, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances and earning his senior debut for Ireland. Although the 2023-24 campaign proved challenging, Ferguson's potential continues to be highly regarded across Europe.

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The young striker will now aim to build on his flying start under Gasperini during Roma’s pre-season fixtures. With expectations rising, he has a chance to cement a regular starting spot and make a strong case for a permanent transfer. If he maintains this form, Roma may be tempted to trigger the €38m buy clause sooner rather than later.

Nicolás Larcamón’s Cruz Azul were considered one of Liga MX’s top contenders for the tournament

• Larcamón apologized to fans after humiliating loss
• Cruz Azul last lost 7-0 to América in 2022
• First loss for the Argentine coach with La Máquina

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Cruz Azul’s humiliating 7-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup dominated headlines across Mexico, especially since Nicolás Larcamón’s side arrived as one of Liga MX’s top contenders. The club was fresh off a CONCACAF Champions Cup title and a strong summer transfer window ahead of the Apertura 2025.

  But what unfolded at Lumen Field Thursday nigt is already being called one of the worst performances in the club’s history.

  “Historic embarrassment," ESPN analyst Javier Alarcón on . "Cruz Azul dragged, mopped and humiliated its own legacy. There must be consequences. This is a defeat the club cannot carry. Should Larcamón stay? This can’t happen to any Mexican team, much less Cruz Azul."

  Fox Sports Mexico’s Gustavo Mendoza echoed the outrage: “Seven-nil? Seriously? It’s a historic result – the worst ever for a Mexican club in this type of competition. Humiliating, shameful, ridiculous. He should at least resign out of dignity, professionalism, shame.”

  Some called for former previous interim manager Vicente Sánchez to return. “They should go apologize to Vicente Sánchez and beg him to come back. I’d get on my knees and say, ‘Vicente, forgive us for everything, for not valuing you. Please come back and coach Sunday’s match against LA Galaxy.’”

  On TUDN, the blowout loss sparked broader questions about Liga MX’s standing.

  “The reason Mexico’s big clubs are still in this tournament is because of all the poor results,” said former player and analyst Damián Zamogilny. “Cruz Azul is the CONCACAF champion – home field matters, but not enough to explain a 7-0. Today’s result shows we don’t have the league we think we do. Our football is overhyped. Look how Monterrey played against Inter Milan – then look how they played against Cincinnati, who are no better than Monterrey.”

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NICOLÁS LARCAMÓN SAID

  After the match, the Argentine coach faced the media after the crushing defeat at Lumen Field.

  “There’s a lot to take responsibility for," he said, "but explanations are honestly hard to come by, especially considering how everything went so disastrously wrong in just one half. In the end, there aren’t many logical answers I can give our fans. I’m here to face it and to offer our apologies.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  This isn’t the first time Cruz Azul has conceded seven goals in a match. The club also endured a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of América in Liga MX back in 2022. That defeat led to the dismissal of Uruguayan manager Diego Aguirre, who had arrived in Mexico with high expectations.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRUZ AZUL?

  Cruz Azul will face LA Galaxy on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Essex 314 for 3 (Khushi 107, Browne 94*) trail Durham 358 by 44 runsA century by Feroze Khushi and Nick Browne’s unbeaten 94 enabled Essex to take control of their Vitality County Championship match against Durham at the Seat Unique Riverside.Replying to the home side’s 358, the First Division leaders were 314 for 3 at the close, leaving their side just 44 runs in arrears and perhaps laying the foundations for Essex’s third victory in four matches this season.Durham’s batters will have something to say about that, of course, on top of which this Riverside pitch is still good for batting and the weather forecast for Sunday is grim. But nothing should detract from the quality of Khushi’s chanceless century, the second of his career and his first since he reached three figures at Canterbury in 2022.And even when the 24-year-old had been dismissed by Callum Parkinson for 107, Browne shared an unbroken stand of 54 with Jordan Cox to leave his side well placed to take a first-innings lead.Related

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• Ben Duckett's dazzling double-century puts Notts in control

The first wicket to fall in the morning session was that of the nightwatcher, Sam Cook, who was bowled by Paul Coughlin for 25 in the 19th over of the innings. By then, however, the stand-in Essex skipper had helped Dean Elgar put on 64 for the first wicket, a partnership which removed much of the shine from the new ball.Five minutes before lunch, however, Durham took the wicket they most wanted when Elgar’s loose drive outside the off stump to a ball from Matthew Potts edged a catch to Ollie Robinson. The opener’s dismissal for 46 left his side on 97 for 2 at lunch but Potts could reflect that he had been unfortunate not to get an lbw decision against the South African in the first half-hour of play, a period in which Ben Raine had also had two confident leg before appeals against Elgar turned down.In the afternoon session, Khushi and Browne carefully consolidated their side’s position with Khushi being especially quick to seize on anything loose, driving and pulling Brydon Carse to the boundary in the space of three balls. He reached his fifty off 102 balls when he off-drove Parkinson to the boundary and celebrated the achievement two deliveries later with a straight drive for four.The hundred partnership was put up in less than two hours and perhaps the most noticeable feature of the afternoon session was the ease with which the pair dealt with Durham’s six-man attack on a good batting pitch. Off-spinner Colin Ackermann bowled the last over before tea, at which point Essex were 220 for 2, with Khushi on 88 and Browne unbeaten on 46.The evening session continued much like the afternoon’s. Carse overpitched in the first over after the resumption and Khushi clipped him through midwicket for four to get into the nineties. A glance to fine leg two overs later and then a punch through midwicket off Ackermann took him to his hundred off 156 balls. He had batted 203 minutes and hit 16 fours.Ten minutes later, Browne reached his fifty off 143 balls via a slice of good fortune when an attempted off-drive to a ball from Ackermann only produced an edge between Robinson and first slip Coughlin. Liberated by that achievement, Browne took two successive fours off Ackermann but three overs later, Khushi drove Parkinson straight to Graham Clark at shortish extra cover and departed.Browne and new partner Cox soon had to face the challenge of the new ball but they did so with little fuss.

أوضح لاعب خط الوسط البرتغالي برونو فرنانديز سبب رفض عرض الانضمام للهلال السعودي وتفضيله البقاء مع مانشستر يونايتد هذا الصيف.

وكان برونو فرنانديز قد تلقى عرضاً رسمياً للانضمام إلى الهلال السعودي في شهر يونيو الماضي، قبل أن يرفضه رغم الجهود الكبيرة التي بذلها النادي السعودي لإقناعه باللعب في دوري روشن السعودي.

أقرأ أيضاً.. أموريم يعلن غياب ثنائي مانشستر يونايتد عن لقاء آرسنال

وكان العرض المقدم من الهلال يتجاوز ثلاث أضعاف ما يتقاضاه برونو فرنانديز مع مانشستر يونايتد، حيث يحصل حالياً على 280 ألف جنيه إسترليني أسبوعياً ما كان سيجعله بين الأعى أجراً على مستوى العالم حال إتمام الصفقة.

وقال برونو فرنانديز عن سبب رفض الانضمام للهلال السعودي في تصريحات نقلها الصحفي “فابريزيو رومانو” :”لم ألعب هنا بعد”.

وأضاف: “أعتقد أنني مازلت قادراً على تقديم كل شيء للنادي، مازالت قادراً على تقديم المساعدة، لطالما قلت إنني سأبقى هنا حتى يقرر النادي رحيل برونو”.

وكانت عائلة برونو فرنانديز قد لعبت دوراً في بقاء اللاعب البرتغالي مع مانشستر يونايتد حيث لم يبدي حماسة لفكرة الانتقال إلى دوري روشن.

جدير بالذكر أن برونو فرنانديز قد خاض مع مانشستر يونايتد 290 مباراة وسجل 98 هدف وصنع 86 هدف منذ انتقاله من سبورتينج لشبونة.

“It’d be really interesting to hear what the public think about it. If the everyday viewer really likes it and thinks it’s good, then it can continue.”

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Apr-20242:08

Jaffer: Impact player not good for Indian cricket

The Impact Player rule has given him “nightmares”, but Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals’ head coach, is happy for the IPL to retain it if it is making the tournament a “better spectacle.””I can answer it in two ways,” Ponting told ESPNcricinfo in a conversation on April 16, a day after Sunrisers Hyderabad plundered 287 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to break their own record, established earlier this season, for the highest IPL total. “It’d be really interesting to hear what the public think about it. If the everyday viewer really likes it and thinks it’s good, then it can continue.Related

Kohli not in favour of Impact Player: 'Not every team has a Bumrah or Rashid'

'You have to evolve with the times' – Shastri, Ashwin back Impact Player rule

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Ponting: 'Attacking batting and not defensive bowling will win this IPL'

Rohit on Impact Player rule: 'I'm not a big fan'

“If the average person gets a bit confused by it and doesn’t know what’s going on – an Impact Player here, someone goes in, someone comes out – if they are confused by it [then you have a rethink]. At the end of the day, we’ve got to think about the product that’s going there and what everyone’s watching as well.”From his perspective as a coach, Ponting admitted he wasn’t too keen on the Impact Player rule, which was introduced by the IPL in the 2023 season, allowing a team to bring in a 12th player as a tactical substitute. While the move was welcomed by captains, coaches and players in its inaugural run last season, there have been voices of opposition this year. Among them is India captain Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles.In a conversation this week with the podcast co-hosted by Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan, Rohit said he was “not a big fan” of the Impact Player primarily because it was detrimental for the development of allrounders especially in India.Ricky Ponting with Rishabh Pant at a Delhi Capitals training session•Delhi Capitals

Ponting agreed with Rohit, and said it would be a simpler job for a coach if he only had to pick the best XI.”From a player’s point and a coach’s point of view, the game would be much easier if you just pick 11, just pick your best 11 and put the 11 on the park and go and play,” Ponting said. “Because I’ll tell you now, we’ll sit back after training tonight and select our teams and you’ve got to pick two teams and you’ve got to have your five impact guys.”There’s so many different ways you can go around doing that, looking at different combinations. It actually can be a bit of a nightmare.”The Impact Player has helped teams, especially those stacked with power hitters such as Sunrisers and Kolkata Knight Riders, to bat explosively across the three phases this season and set totals in excess of 250 more than once. A total of 549 runs were scored in what was a batting gala in Bengaluru where RCB lost to Sunrisers by 25 runs.Ponting, who was busy overseeing Capitals’ training on Monday evening in Motera, was informed by his son Fletcher about Sunrisers making 287 in Bengaluru on the back of a blistering Travis Head century.Later in the evening Ponting received several messages from friends who were astonished by the slew of records broken in Bengaluru including that for the most sixes in a team innings. “It looks to me like [the Impact Player is] having an impact on the game,” Ponting said. “More runs are being scored. So you’d think people that were sitting back and watching that game last night would be mesmerised by the cricket. I was getting messages last night saying what a crazy game of cricket, what an unbelievable game of cricket.”So if the Impact Player is making it a better spectacle, then it should stay.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Em entrevista concedida ao podcast ‘Embolada’, o presidente do Sport, Yuri Romão, não poupou palavras sobre sua visão de qual seria a melhor saída para o clube recuperar a competitividade necessária para brigar no primeiro escalão do futebol nacional.

Diante dos problemas financeiros, Romão entende que somente a chegada de um investidor (algo que conduziria para a mudança de gestão visando a criação da SAF) é capaz de mudar a situação do Leão da Ilha, pensando no curto prazo.

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>Qual clube cobra o ingresso mais caro no Brasil? Veja balanço com rankings

-Não vislumbro nenhuma saída para os clubes pequenos e médios senão ter um parceiro forte do lado, ter um investidor.Porque a distância entre um clube feito o Sport e os outros clubes, ela é gigantesca. Se estivéssemos na Série A agora, a gente ia ter muita dificuldade.Não vejo como um clube com uma dívida astronômica, como a do Sport, de R$ 300 milhões, consiga em curto espaço de tempo acompanhar equipes como Flamengo, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Atlético-MG – detalhou o mandatário do Sport.

No aspecto prático, o portal ‘ge’ detalhou que houve a procura por parte de Yuri Romão junto a seis investidores diferentes para abrir conversas sobre a formatação de acordo. Entretanto, apesar do diálogo ter sido iniciado, a estrutura da Sociedade Anônima do Futebol ou mesmo os ajustes em relação ao estatuto do clube não tem uma data fixada para resolução.

-Eu entendo que há uma necessidade até para ter um clube alinhado com o futuro do futebol. Há uma mudança em curso. No Conselho, eu tive o cuidado de convidar muitos advogados para que eles possam nos auxiliar nessa tomada de decisão. Se você me perguntar qual o modelo de SAF que vai vir e se vai vir, eu não tenho essa certeza – concluiu o presidente do Leão.

Northeast and Ingram resist but visitors still not save from innings defeat at Headingley

ECB Reporters Network05-May-2024Glamorgan 221 (B Root 51, Bess 4-25, Moriarty 4-74) and 171 for 3 (Northeast 46*, Ingram 43*) trail Yorkshire 519 for 7 dec (Bean 173, J Root 156, Brook 65) by 127 runs Joe Root completed a superb day three 156 as Yorkshire pushed for a Vitality County Championship victory over Glamorgan at Headingley.Root followed Fin Bean’s lead, the opener who scored his first century of the season late on day two and went on to make 173 in Yorkshire’s imposing first-innings 519 for seven declared.Glamorgan then reached close on 171 for three from 60 overs in their second innings, with unbeaten Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram approaching half-centuries. The visitors trail by 127.Root, 92 overnight, posted a classy century – his second in as many Division Two games – and shared 265 for the third wicket with Bean through until mid-morning as the hosts replied to a 221 total on a used pitch.Harry Brook then piled further pressure on the beleaguered visiting attack with two sixes in 65, though he fell to one-time England Test leg-spinner Mason Crane to spark the declaration in the first half of the afternoon.Crane finished with a consolatory five for 152 from 23.1 overs.Despite batting on a deteriorating pitch, Yorkshire’s innings advanced at a rate of just over 5.5 runs per over. They were helped out as a depleted Glamorgan attack erred with the ball.Last year, Glamorgan had much the better of an early season draw here when Australian seamer Michael Neser took a hat-trick. But this attack looks very different to the one which took the field exactly 12 months ago.Neser has not returned to the club this season, while fellow seamer Timm van der Gugten is injured. Another quick Harry Podmore is also sidelined and all-rounder Dan Douthwaite rested.Bean’s highest first-class score came as he batted with more aggression than usual, the left-handed opener making a conscious effort to put pressure on the bowlers.In January, the 22-year-old had spent time in India working on batting against spin as part of an England Lions batting camp.On this evidence, it was 10 days well spent given the spinning nature of this pitch, him hitting 24 fours and five sixes in 173 balls. Four of his five sixes were hit over long-on or straight off spin.For Root, he backed up last weekend’s 119 in the draw against Derbyshire with a typically classy innings. He reached this century off 100 balls in the opening 15 minutes of play and went on to hit 21 fours in 165 balls.Bean, having been dropped at first slip on his overnight 140, was the first wicket to fall, bowled playing back to Crane, before Root was trapped lbw by seamer James Harris.Crane is on a season-long loan from Hampshire in a bid to get more regular cricket.He took four of his five wickets on day three and will be most pleased that his last three wickets came at a cost of only one run, including Jonny Tattersall stumped for a confident 55 and Brook caught at backward point. The hosts declared immediately.Glamorgan’s openers Eddie Byrom and Billy Root started their second innings brightly, sharing 56 inside 18 overs.But both fell either side of tea as the score slipped to 72 for two. Root played on to Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin for 35 before Byrom was caught at deep square-leg on the sweep against Dom Bess’s off-spin.Kiran Carlson was then unfortunate to be run out having struck a drive against Bess against Joe Root at silly point. The ball ricocheted back to wicketkeeper Tattersall, who removed the bails with the batter scrambling to make his ground – 93 for three.Thankfully for the visitors, Northeast and Ingram steadied the ship and held firm for the rest of the day and will resume on 46 and 43 respectively.They will, however, likely need to significantly build on their 78-run partnership to give Glamorgan a chance of avoiding defeat.

Lancashire Thunder began their Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over ‘Roses’ rivals Northern Diamonds at a sun-soaked Emirates Old Trafford.Excellent bowling figures from Mahika Gaur, Fi Morris and Kate Cross ensured the visitors stuttered their way to 109 for 5 from their 20 overs with only Emma Marlow (47*) showing anything like the resistance needed to post a decent total.Thunder showed no mercy in reply as they reached the target in the 15th over thanks mainly to Emma Lamb, who hit a dominant unbeaten 44 with four boundaries and 30 not out from Seren Smale.Diamonds were immediately on the back foot when Leah Dobson skied a Gaur delivery to Morris for seven in the second over with Lauren Winfield-Hill departing just five balls later when she hit Cross to Alisa Lister at mid on for two.10 for two quickly became 19 for three when Hollie Armitage was trapped in front by Phoebe Graham for three, although the Diamonds skipper couldn’t hide her disgust at the decision as she walked off the field.A semblance of a recovery was triggered by Sterre Kalis, who hit the first boundaries of the day, and put on 32 for the fourth wicket with Marlow before she was caught at long on by Cross off Morris for 16.The emphasis was now on Marlow, and once Phoebe Turner was run out following a mix up for four, she finally found a partner in Katherine Fraser as the sixth wicket pair steered Diamonds to something approaching respectability as they put on 42 unbeaten runs.The very modest target of 110 always looked achievable by the hosts, especially with an in-form Lamb at the top of the order, and Thunder duly got off to a flyer, despite Morris being unlucky to have been given out lbw for six from a Katie Levick delivery she clearly hit.The powerplay finished with Thunder 56 for 1 and already more than halfway to the win with Lamb and Georgia Voll with their foot on the throttle.Voll’s run out for 19 following a bad call stopped the momentum momentarily. But the in-coming Smale’s energy and quick running between the wickets ensured the pace didn’t let up as Thunder closed in on the target before reaching it with 31 balls to spare to secure a bonus point win.

Thomas Muller revealed his reasons for joining Vancouver Whitecaps after leaving a long stint at Bayern Munich.

Müller signs with Whitecaps after Bayern exitCites ambition, and clear plan as reasonsSet for August 17 debut vs Houston DynamoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern legend Muller has officially joined Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps, bringing down the curtain on his legendary 25-year spell at the German champions. The 35-year-old forward has signed a short-term deal that will see him join immediately, with the option to become a Designated Player from the 2026 season. Muller is expected to make his debut on August 17 against Houston Dynamo, pending match fitness and final paperwork.

The Whitecaps, currently battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, have made it clear they’re aiming higher, and Muller’s arrival is a signal of serious intent.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT MULLER SAID

Muller shed light on the motivation behind his decision to join the Canadian club, making it clear in his monthly newsletter that the move was carefully thought out. 

He wrote: "What I particularly like is that since the season is already entering its final phase, I'm getting straight to the point. My first minutes of play will probably be on August 17 against Houston Dynamo. The overall package just worked. From a sporting perspective, we/they are in contention for the title and are currently in second place in the Western Conference. The discussions with managing director Axel Schuster and coach Jesper Sorensen were really good from the start, I noticed they know where they want to go. Clear words, as you know, I've always liked that. 

The 2014 World Cup winner also threw light on being present at the turf with old team-mates until recently: "To be honest, this doesn't feel as strange as you might think. I've known about my situation since March and have had time to adjust. I'm now happy that my next stop has been decided and I can continue doing what I love: playing football. In the last few days, I've met my old team-mates and shared some wonderful moments. It was relaxed, with no feeling of farewell or anything like that." 

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Muller’s move to Canada marks one of the most high-profile European arrivals in MLS history. While many stars choose larger US-based franchises, Muller’s decision reflects both personal and sporting factors, from club vision to lifestyle. Besides, the weather in Canada is also quite suitable for the Bavarian. It’s a major coup for the Whitecaps and a signal that the MLS continues to evolve as a genuine destination for world-class talent who still want to compete at a high level.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR THOMAS MULLER?

Muller is set to link up with his new teammates immediately and is expected to feature against Houston Dynamo later this month. With Vancouver firmly in the playoff mix, he could have a decisive impact on their title push. The club also has the option to register him as a Designated Player in 2026, a move that would further elevate his role as the face of their project both on and off the pitch.