Canada’s Crepeau fulfils a Copa America dream after the pain of missing the World Cup

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In the hours before Maxime Crepeau stared down Lionel Messi and Argentina, the Canada goalkeeper’s mind drifted far away from the immense challenge the World Cup champions presented.

There were tactical plans to review on how best to implement new Canada head coach Jesse Marsch’s press. There were typical warm-ups to do. And there were necessary messages as a team that had to be communicated throughout the locker room.

But none of those teammates had overcome the kind of hurdles recently that Crepeau did. And so he needed to appreciate the fact he was starting in a wildly important game for Canada — finally — in a way none of the other players could understand.

“My wife and I shared a moment before the game,” Crepeau said quietly. “We’ve come a long, long way.”

Crepeau was a lock for Canada’s 2022 World Cup roster for months before they even qualified. There was no doubt he was going on the plane to Qatar as Canada’s backup goalkeeper, even if, at the time, a case could be made that he offered more athleticism and quality than longtime Canada No 1 Milan Borjan.

That is until Crepeau raced out to cut off Philadelphia Union striker Cory Burke in the 2022 MLS Cup. As he did, he collided with Burke and broke his leg. His World Cup dreams were over. And even if his leg did fully heal and he did return for Canada, he would still be stuck behind Borjan.

“(The injury) put me in a very tough place physically and mentally over the last 12 months,” Crepeau said.

But he did finally return for Canada a year and a half after breaking his leg. With his wife Cristina, Crepeau acknowledged how fortunate he was to be starting for Canada. And how he was not going to let the moment pass him by without appreciating his journey. And naturally, how he was not going to let Argentina off easy, either.

Crepeau’s long road back hit a new peak against Argentina. His ability to step bravely out of his goal ensured Canada stayed in the game against the world champions.

Crepeau stopped Messi point blank in the 65th minute. He then stormed out and cut Messi off in his tracks, forcing a shot wide in the 79th minute. Earlier, he had denied Angel Di Maria when the winger seemed sure to score.

“We put Max in a situation to have to play, or have to make a bunch of saves that normally, if we were cleaner, he wouldn’t even need to be called upon,” said head coach Marsch.

Argentina ended up putting nine shots on target to Canada’s two.

With his outrageous performance against Argentina, Crepeau didn’t just establish himself as Canada’s undisputed starter and one of their most important players. As he stood tall against the greatest player of all time, Crepeau earned redemption after his career was nearly thrown off the rails.

There was a time when it felt like Crepeau would never start games for Canada.

He made his international debut as a 21-year-old in 2016. The promise was there in a 1-0 loss to the United States, but the opportunities did not follow. Injuries and the dominance Borjan had on the program as the longtime starter and captain meant Crepeau remained the quiet understudy.

It would take nearly four years for him to be given another start for Canada.

But in that time, within a young team finding their way, Crepeau established himself as the definition of professionalism. As his play within MLS steadily improved, the complaints you might expect about his lack of playing time within the national team didn’t come.

Yes, Crepeau made himself look larger than life as he spread out to make save after save against Argentina. Yet teammates know Crepeau’s heart is even larger. That makes the accolades he earned in the Copa America opener that much more deserving.

“He’s a guy that will FaceTime his wife every 30 minutes,” Canada teammate and friend Samuel Piette said. “It’s been like this forever. I remember the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico (in 2011), it was the same. So sometimes when you’re with him, it’s a bit annoying, because you try to have a conversation and out of the blue, he’s talking to his wife for 30 seconds, asking her a question. When Max likes people, he really loves people.”

Crepeau may be the reserved and bespectacled cerebral type off the pitch. But those who have watched his rise believe that persona shouldn’t hide the fact that the 5ft 11in (180cm) goalkeeper has always been a fighter.

“Max has always been told, ‘You are really good. Too bad you’re not taller,’” the former Canada youth and senior national team coach Michael Findlay, who coached Crepeau on various youth teams, said. “If you look at Max, he’s always fought his way through. He realized that wasn’t going to stop him.”

Crepeau nods and smiles knowingly when the topic of his height comes up, before raising one of the fingers that would end up keeping Argentina’s shots out of Canada’s net. His eyebrows rise as he reminds anyone listening that famed European goalkeepers Fabien Barthez and Iker Casillas were virtually the same height as him.

“You can be smaller than six foot if you’re able to move your feet across goal and aren’t afraid to go up and collect a cross,” Crepeau said. “You can have the same aggressiveness towards the ball.”

Ah, yes, aggressiveness in goal. Though Crepeau offers plenty of virtues as a goalkeeper — be it pure shot-stopping or the excellent distribution that Borjan didn’t always offer — his ability to sprint out of his goal and act as the last line of defence is his most fearless attribute.

It is necessary in Marsch’s aggressive system that utilizes a high defensive line and needs goalkeepers to read the opposition forward’s movements far from goal. That is a key reason why Marsch has turned to Crepeau to be Canada’s starter and why Borjan likely will not get called back into a Canada camp.

“(Crepeau’s play) breeds confidence and allows us to play a really high line and stick to the system (Marsch) wants,” Canada defender Alistair Johnston said.

“He wants us to be on the front foot. And that’s going to leave guys exposed at the back. And sometimes you’re going to need your goalkeeper to bail you out. And he did. I don’t think (Crepeau’s play) surprises anyone. But I think it’s nice now in this world stage that other people are seeing what he has to offer.”

Crepeau was crucial in helping Canada keep a clean sheet against France in the warmup to Copa America (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

That aggressive goalkeeping style works when you are brimming with confidence.

Yet for all the inner confidence Crepeau has and showed against Argentina, he might not have reached this point. There were times through the six-month recovery from his broken leg when a return seemed unimaginable.

He wrestled with the worry he would lose his spot for club and country. And it was worth wondering if his game would ever fully recover from such a devastating injury.

Crepeau never gave up believing he could return and play in a World Cup. The fight he showed against Argentina to sprint out confidently against the likes of Messi comes from the same place his fight to return to the pitch does. And it is the same fight Canada will continue to rely upon through the rest of Copa America and even into the 2026 World Cup.

Against Argentina, Canada played physically and showed resilience against a team with far more individual quality. No one exemplified that better than Crepeau.

Now, if they can learn from the small errors they made against the world champions and also use Crepeau’s performance as a means to boost their own confidence, Canada could be in line to earn their first Copa America result.

If they do, few people will appreciate it as much as Crepeau.

“To be able to express myself and to be out there with the guys — because it’s been a long time with this group as well — it feels great to be there on a personal level and to enjoy the game again,” he said.

(Top photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)