By The Canadian Press

Whitecaps beef up backline by adding Belgium’s Pupe, Germany’s Schonlau

Aug 21, 2025 | 6:40 AM

VANCOUVER — Sebastian Schonlau didn’t expect to become Thomas Muller’s teammate when he signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Getting to play with the soccer legend is an added bonus, the German centre back said.

“It’s a nice side effect, and I’m happy to get to know him,” Schonlau said. “Of course, in Germany — I think not only in Germany, but all over the world — he’s a popular guy. He’s reached so many things, and we can just learn from him. So yeah, I’m happy that he joined the club as well.”

The Whitecaps announced Thursday it had added Schonlau and Belgian centre back Joedrick Pupe to the roster.

Schonlau is signed through 2026 with a club option for 2027, while Pupe is under contract through 2027 with a club option for 2028.

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The pair are the latest additions to a club that has brought in four new players over the past month, including Muller.

The 35-year-old former Bayern Munich star made his Major League Soccer debut on Sunday, and had a goal disallowed for being offside.

Schonlau comes to the ‘Caps from Hamburg SV, which he helped earn promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2025-26 season.

The 31-year-old has 19 goals and 18 assists over 327 professional matches in Germany.

Asked whether any of those matches came against Muller, Schonlau was honest.

“Yeah, I think two or three times, but it went not that good for me. So let’s not talk about it,” he said with a smile.

Pupe, who previously played for F.C.V. Dender, has not yet arrived in Vancouver.

The 28-year-old captained Dender to promotion to Belgium’s top tier and was named to the Challenger Pro League Team of the Season.

He had five assists in 64 appearances across all competitions for Dender.

“Joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC is an honour,” Pupe said in a release. “I’m proud to represent this club and city, and I can’t wait to give everything I have for our incredible fans. I’m ready to work hard and help bring more success to Vancouver.”

The arrivals come at a key moment for Vancouver, which has lost two veteran defenders to season-ending injuries — centre back Ranko Veselinović (ACL) and left back Sam Adekugbe (Achilles).

“We are in a position to compete for trophies this season, so our goal this window was to provide more options to (coach Jesper Sorensen) and the team,” Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster said in a release.

Both signings are pending a medical, visa, work permit and international transfer certificate.

The moves came on the same day the Whitecaps transferred Norwegian centre back Bjorn Inge Utvik to Sarpsborg 08 FF in his native country.

The Whitecaps host St. Louis City SC on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press