A goalie suffered a broken leg, and he was given a red card on the same play. Here are the details about Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau and his unfortunate scenario.
Broken Leg And A Broken World Cup Dream
A broken leg that will prevent him from playing for Canada in the World Cup and a red card that would have taken him out of the MLS Cup had he not been removed from the pitch on a stretcher.
That’s the strange set of circumstances that befell LAFC goalkeeper and Canadian international Maxime Crepeau on Saturday in the second extra-period of LAFC’s eventual penalty-kick shootout victory over the Philadelphia Union at Barc of California Stadium.
Crepeau was injured in a collision with Union striker Cory Burke that was so gruesome it was not shown on replay to television viewers. The two collided while trying to corral a poor back pass from LAFC center back Jesus Murillo. Crepeau was red-carded by referee Ismail Elfath for stopping an obvious goal-scoring opportunity on the advice of assistant referee Ian Anderson.
His horrific injury opened the door for goalie John McCarthy to enter the game in the 117th minute and write his name into the MLS history books. McCarthy, a 30-year-old Philadelphia native and who played four seasons with the Union, ended up being named the MLS Cup MVP for stopping penalty kicks by Jose Martinez and Kai Wagner in LAFC’s 3-0 shootout win that followed a 3-3 tie during regular and extra time.
Daniel Gazdag, the first Union player in the shootout, sailed his shot over the net. Crepeau raised his fist to fans as he left the field, and he FaceTimed with teammates and coaches from the hospital after the game. He underwent successful surgery to repair his leg Sunday. Crepeau, 28, came to LAFC before the 2022 season from Vancouver Whitecaps FC for $1 million in general allocation money (a league record for a goalie) and other considerations and posted nine shutouts in 33 games.
Who Will Replace Crepeau?
So how does Crepeau’s injury impact Canada as it prepares to play in the World Cup for the first time in 36 years? He was supposed to be the backup to Milan Borjan, who plays for Red Star Belgrade, even though he started all five of Canada’s World Cup qualifying games.
Two MLS goalkeepers — Dayne St. Clair of Minnesota United FC and James Pantemis of CF Montreal — are now in the running to be Borjan’s backup. Canada is in Group F. Its first group game in Qatar will be Nov. 23 against Belgium.
Millions Watched The MLS Cup
Lots of eyes were on the 27th MLS Cup. Here are some television viewership facts provided by MLS: It was the most-watched MLS Cup since 1997. There were 2.155 million viewers in the U.S., including 1.487 million on FOX and 668,000 on Univision.
It was the most-watched Union match of all time. It was the second-most-watched LAFC game of all time behind a 2019 playoff game. It was the second-most-watched club soccer match of the season broadcast in English behind only the UEFA Champions League final May 28.
