Only one win separates Thomas Müller from reaching the MLS final. However, the former Bayern player feels uneasy about a single game deciding the outcome, especially since it takes place 2,000 kilometers away.
Sportingly, Thomas Müller has long since arrived in the MLS, but the 36-year-old is still somewhat at odds with the playoff format. The fact that there is only one deciding game from the quarter-finals onwards is not particularly great for the former Bayern player – especially since he has to fight with his Vancouver Whitecaps away in San Diego, almost 2,000 kilometers away, for a place in the final.
“From my point of view, in the playoffs – if it’s about the stronger team prevailing and because it can only be wished for with the large distances in the MLS – fans should also see their team at home in crucial games,” Müller described on Thursday evening at a media round on SPORT1 request.
Thomas Müller is still struggling with the MLS playoff system
“The first and second leg format with goal aggregate would of course be something that I know and also like,” admitted the native Bavarian, but at the same time made it clear: “But the fact that I’m not a fan of the playoff format is a bit too generalized for me.”
“I thought: ‘I’m going to North America and have playoffs'”
The native of Weilheim was irritated by the first playoff round, which, contrary to the later rounds, is played in a best-of-three format. “In theory, you can get through with two draws and wins in the penalty shoot-out – even if you lose the third game,” explained Müller.
He apparently imagined it differently when he jumped across the big pond: “That was a bit where I thought: ‘I’m going to North America and then I have playoffs. Then I definitely have a few series, as you know from other sports.'”
Although the current principle is not his favorite, the 2014 World Champion can live with it. “That was more of an assessment of the status quo, I have no problem with it. It’s no different in the DFB Cup, there are these do-or-die games,” said Müller.
Müller: “It was a huge spectacle”
As you could see in the dramatic quarter-final victory against Los Angeles FC, a single deciding game creates great tension and drama, which Müller of course also recognizes as a plus point: “The tension is of course enormously high in these games. We saw that last week. It was a huge spectacle because everyone knew it was about the decision.”
If he could choose, he would still choose the mode common in Europe. “My format is a first and second leg, away and home – as is the case, for example, in the Champions League. I like that best for such competitions,” explained Müller, who emphasized the importance: “It’s about the championship of an entire season. But that is just my personal opinion.”