"The former Bayern man knew that it would be a tough test and sent out a late night text to his teammates the night before. His teammate, Sebastian Berhalter, told Sports Illustrated, "He sent a text and told everyone just to take deep breaths, if anyone's feeling anything, do some box breathing and be ready. When you get a text like that at 11 p.m., you're like 'here we go.'""
"The Whitecaps were cruising by halftime, up 2-0, but Son took over in the second half. He halved the lead about midway into the second half and then scored a world class goal from a freekick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to force extra time. Vancouver would limp into extra time with just ten men after a second yellow card gave Son the freekick opportunity. Müller was subbed out before extra time began and had to watch his team battle from the bench."
"They played the last ten minutes of stoppage time with nine men after an injured player could not continue and no subs were available. LAFC had three great opportunities at the death. They hit the crossbar, the left post, and the crossbar again in a matter of seconds, but the Whitecaps were able to keep the ball out of the net and forced penalties."
Vancouver Whitecaps defeated LAFC on penalties after a dramatic semifinal to reach their first MLS Conference Final since joining MLS in 2011. A record crowd of 53,397 attended the match. Vancouver led 2-0 at halftime before Heung-min Son cut the deficit and equalized with a stoppage-time freekick to force extra time. Vancouver finished extra time with nine men but defended resolutely as LAFC struck the woodwork multiple times. The match proceeded to a penalty shootout where LAFC missed crucial attempts and Vancouver prevailed. Thomas Müller sent a late-night message encouraging teammates to breathe and stay calm.
Read at Bavarian Football Works
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