Thomas Muller says he is feeling "too good to retire" ahead of his possible Vancouver Whitecaps debut against the Houston Dynamo in MLS.

After a trophy-laden 17 years with Bayern Munich, Muller has joined Vancouver as a free agent and was unveiled by the club earlier this week.

The Whitecaps are second in the Western Conference, four points behind leaders San Diego FC, with a game in hand, but they are looking to bounce back from a late 2-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes.

Though head coach Jesper Sorensen would not confirm Muller's availability for Sunday, the German has laid out his ambitious plans for his time in MLS.

"I was always a competitive guy during my whole life, and my love is to play, to play soccer," Muller said. "And my body feels, even in [this] stage of my career, too good to retire.

"I know that a player with my career coming to Vancouver [is] creating a little bit of a hype. And we want to stay on the hype train as long as possible.

"It's not about the winning titles in the past. It's winning titles in the future. That's what motivates me."

Houston, meanwhile, are currently outside the playoff places in the West, sitting 12th on 28 points, four behind ninth-place San Jose, having played a game fewer.

The Dynamo are winless in their last four MLS matches (D2 L2), with that run including a 3-0 defeat to Vancouver, and head coach Ben Olsen has urged his players to dig deep if they want to make the playoffs.

"We're going to need character and some personality," he said. "If we're going to get into the postseason, it's that simple.

"We've got a bunch of away games in tough places, and it's going to be a slog and a grind, and through that, it's doable, but we're going to need a lot of good performances, some grit and a little extra personality if we're going to reach our goal."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White

Brian White scored his 12th goal of the season last Saturday, the fourth time he has scored at least 12 times in a season for the Whitecaps.

Only three other players in team history have scored 12 or more goals in a season four times (Camilo Sanvezzo twice, Kei Kamara, Fredy Montero once each).

Houston Dynamo – Jack McGlynn

Jack McGlynn scored at 80' and 89' to earn Houston a 2-2 draw with Austin FC after trailing 2-0.

McGlynn is the second Dynamo player to score twice in the final 10 minutes to earn his team a draw from two goals down after Alberth Elis did so against LA Galaxy in September 2017 (84', 88').

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

Houston recorded a 4-3 win at Vancouver in July 2024, their first-ever away win against the Whitecaps. In their first 11 visits to Vancouver, the Dynamo managed just two draws (L9), and the hosts will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Vancouver have lost five of their last nine regular-season matches (W3 D1), including a 2-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. Vancouver had lost just one of their first 16 matches this season (W10 D5).

Meanwhile, Houston's winless run in all competitions stretched to seven matches with a 2-2 draw against Austin on Saturday (D2 L5). The Dynamo have lost only two of their last six away from home (W2 D2).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 56.6.%

Draw – 22.5%

Houston Dynamo – 20.9%