How good was Maxime Crepeau on Saturday night? Good enough that his 16th and MLS record-breaking save was really, truly imperceptible to the naked eye.
The 25-year-old Canada national team member and Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeer broke a record that had stood for more than 22 years, surpassing Tony Meola's old mark by one stop in his side's 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Quakes also posted three MLS records of their own, breaking two that had also stood for at least two decades, with 43 total shots and 19 attempts on target on their way to victory.
And Chris Wondolowski added his career MLS goals record with his 155th, which ultimately stood as the winner for San Jose.
But Crepeau's performance is the headliner, in part because of the stature of the man who previously held the honor, and in part because of just how difficult it is to make 16 saves in a professional game.
On his last, when he sprawled to his right to slightly push Florian Jungwirth's missile of a free kick onto the crossbar, broadcasters at the time looked at multiple replays and determined he hadn't quite reached it.
Official statkeepers originally did not record a save, but then reviewed the play and saw he had in fact reached the shot and slightly altered its path.
Meola made 15 saves in the New York MetroStars' 2-1 loss to D.C. United back on April 5, 1997, and D.C. set the previous record of 18 shots on target in the same game. As for overall shot attempts, San Jose obliterated the previous mark of 38, set by the New York MetroStars in a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Mutiny on June 3 of 1998.
The Earthquakes also set the record for most shot attempts in a half with 25 before referee Ramy Touchan blew a conclusion to the opening 45 minutes. That bested the 23 attempted in a game by Sporting Kansas City last year.
Andres Rios tied the all-time shots mark with his bender off the left upright for San Jose's final goal. Magnus Eriksson broke it a few minutes later, with a speculative effort from a few yards beyond the penalty area, which Crepeau saved easily.
Acquired in a trade from the Montreal Impact prior to the season, Crepeau has been a bright spot for the rebuilding Whitecaps while emerging as their No. 1 starter.
His 98 saves this season now place him third on the MLS saves chart, despite having played at least four fewer matches than the two goalkeepers above him, D.C.'s Bill Hamid and the LA Galaxy's David Bingham.
