LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau underwent successful surgery on Sunday to repair a right-leg fracture he suffered in Saturday’s MLS Cup 2022 matchup with the Philadelphia Union, the club announced yesterday.
While a recovery timeline was not provided, the injury surely rules the Canadian international out of the upcoming FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Crépeau was hurt in the second extra-time period of Saturday’s historic title win for the Black & Gold, colliding with Union striker Cory Burke to meet an under-hit back-pass from center back Jesús Murillo.
The 28-year-old was originally shown a yellow card for stopping a promising attack by referee Ismail Elfath. After advice from assistant referee Ian Anderson, the yellow card was changed to a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
John McCarthy, the MLS Cup 2022 MVP presented by Audi, then subbed into the goalkeeper spot after featuring in just one league match this season. The veteran hardly seemed fazed, stopping two penalty kicks in a 3-0 shootout victory that followed a legendary 3-3 draw at Banc of California Stadium.
World Cup impact
Crépeau projected as the backup to Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper Milan Borjan with Les Rouges, who start Group F play on Nov. 23 against Belgium – returning to their first World Cup in 36 years after topping Concacaf’s qualifying process.
Crépeau has 15 caps for Canada, starting in five World Cup qualifiers as well as all five of their games during the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. Now, the door appears open for Minnesota United FC’s Dayne St. Clair and CF Montréal’s James Pantemis to compete for the backup role to Borjan.
Trade arrival
Ahead of the 2022 MLS season, Crépeau joined LAFC in a trade from Vancouver Whitecaps FC for $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) and other considerations – a league-record package for a goalkeeper. He posted nine clean sheets across 33 games as LAFC became the eighth team in the league’s 27-year history to capture both MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield.
In the aftermath of Crépeau's injury Saturday, he was seen FaceTiming with teammates and coaches from the hospital – joining the postgame celebrations virtually. His eventual procedure was performed at Kaiser Permanente – Baldwin Park Medical Center.
