By: Sophie Ma

When Maxime Crepeau broke his leg in the final MLS cup final, saving his team when he blocked the winning ball for the other team, he ended his professional soccer career. That also prevented him from going with his team to the World Cup, the first time their team has gone in 36 years. That was 9 months ago.

However, despite the tragic results, Crepeau has continued to stay positive and optimistic throughout his recovery journey, though he hasn’t played on a team since his injury.

Crepeau said, “I really play with my heart on the field. I don’t regret anything.”

While Crepeau has been unable to play, his teammate John McCarthy has taken his place as goalkeeper. Though he was replaced after leading the league in 21 wins in 2022, Crepeau says he’s happy for McCarthy.

“So I don’t see it as he’s taking my job. It’s more we are a crew helping the team lift trophies. I see it more as a collective.” Crepeau explained.

The first few days of the injury were the worst, Crepeau mentioned. Walking was a huge step, and then being able to go up and down stairs were seen as big steps forward. Now, Crepeau has begun training again, though he hasn’t joined in a full team training yet.

“When we spoke he said, ‘Look, I don’t have a lot of tears.’ But tears really came out in the first game when he realized he wasn’t there,” Marc Dos Santos, an assistant coach that started Crepeau’s professional soccer career in 2010 with the Montreal Impact, said.

While physically he had to adjust and slowly get better, the same went for his mental health. Crepeau couldn’t go to the World Cup with his teammate, and was forced to watch it on the TV with his leg in a cast.

He said, “When the World Cup started, I was missing out on that huge event I worked pretty much my whole life to get to.”

This isn’t the first time Crepeau has experienced a major injury, however. Three years ago in 2020, he detached the base of his left thumb, the injury requiring the doctors to place three wires inside his hand. Crepeau couldn’t play for 8 months, and had to train hard in order to come back and play even better than before.

Now, Crepeau has to do the same thing: persevere and stay positive as his leg heals so that he can make it back on that field.