When John Thorrington welcomed Maxime Crépeau to Los Angeles almost two years ago, LAFC’s Co-President & General Manager made one guarantee: “We know he is committed to winning.” The Club could not have known at the time just how committed Crépeau was.
Today, as the 29-year-old goalkeeper officially departs LAFC, the legacy he leaves behind is one of competitive excellence, leadership, and unrivaled resilience. The words “Club Legend” are thrown around often, but that phrase was coined for men like Crépeau, not just because of his play, but because of the example he set, and the brotherhood he helped foster in LAFC’s changing room.
Fluent in three languages (English, French, and Spanish), Crépeau forged lasting bonds with teammates as diverse as Ryan Hollingshead, Dénis Bouanga, and Jesús Murillo. As the stakes increased late in LAFC’s record-setting 2023 campaign, Crépeau formed the base of a nearly impenetrable goal-protecting triangle that included center-backs Murillo, the stoic Colombian, and Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini.
Crépeau’s greatest on-field contribution to the club was his most unselfish—and most indicative of his character. In the 110th minute of LAFC’s MLS Cup final showdown with Philadelphia in November 2022, Union forward Cory Burke found himself all alone, racing toward LAFC’s goal, following the ball as it rolled in the same direction. The only obstacle between Burke and the potential Cup-winning goal was several yards away: Crépeau.
The Canadian’s reaction was immediate. He sprinted at Burke and executed an imperfect sliding tackle that erased the threat—and broke the two bones in Crépeau’s lower right leg.
As Crépeau was carted off the field, he exhorted his teammates with clenched fists. He raised a hand to let the 23,000 people who witnessed his injury firsthand know that he’d be fine. The most important task, in Crepeau’s mind, was for LAFC to finish the game and lift the Cup, which his teammates did in dramatic fashion.
It’s not a stretch to say that the most prestigious hardware in LAFC’s trophy case would not be there if not for Crépeau’s valorous, selfless effort at the moment of truth that day. His sacrifice not only cost Crépeau the remainder of that match, and a chance to raise the trophy with his friends (he celebrated with them over FaceTime from the hospital), it sidelined him for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Crépeau would have fulfilled a lifelong dream by representing Canada on the game’s greatest stage. His injury led to a ten-month absence from LAFC’s first-team roster, a grueling period that Crépeau spent rehabilitating his surgically-repaired leg, coaxing it back to 100 percent, overcoming mental obstacles as well as physical.
He returned to LAFC’s Starting XI on September 16, 2023, helping secure a home victory over the Galaxy. Crépeau went on to start all 12 of the matches LAFC played after that date, a run that culminated in the Club’s second straight MLS Cup Final appearance. Over those twelve matches, LAFC conceded just nine total goals— 0.75 per game.
In the playoffs, Crépeau led a defensive effort that held three straight opponents scoreless (Vancouver, Seattle, and Houston), and produced a streak of more than 350 minutes without conceding. Crepeau earned Man of the Match honors against the Sounders after making several acrobatic saves in the second half of LAFC’s 1-0 road win.
His greatest impact, however – the truest testament to his value as a person and player – took place when no one was around, on the days Crépeau spent battling back from his leg injury, days when it was just him and a physical therapist or two, sweating and straining in a silence broken only by Crepeau’s pained grunts. His character was further revealed when he took the field for LAFC2, the Club’s second team, in matches that were witnessed by just a few spectators, rebuilding his body and his confidence.
“We might have to be here for a half hour to let me talk about Max Crepeau,” defender Ryan Hollingshead said after Crépeau returned to the field against the Galaxy in September, ten months after his injury. “This guy is unbelievable in every sense of the word. His work ethic, his professionalism. The guy has been grinding for, you know, better part of a year now trying to get back on the field. There's not an ounce of ego in this guy. He's not afraid to step in and play with LAFC2. He's not afraid to go on a road trip to Timbuktu, with a rotating squad of guys that he knows 25 percent of their names …
“I think you’d see 95 percent of players in those moments, wanting to start with the first team, wanting to be the man again, wanting to get like thrown right back in the mix. And with Max, it was like, No, he would do anything he could to prepare himself, help the team be in the right spot when his name was called …
“I could go on all day but this guy. He is one of my favorite teammates I've ever played with.”
Men like Max Crépeau are rare; as rare as the impact he has had on LAFC and its legions of supporters during the incredible adventure story he helped write over the last two years.
Read more: My Story by Max Crépeau
