Maxime Crepeau describes 'pain' of broken leg recovery & LAFC's MLS Cup success | OneFootball

LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau has opened up on the 'pain' of his recovery from a broken leg suffered at MLS Cup.

The Canadian goalkeeper suffered the injury charging out to challenge Philadelphia Union forward Cory Burke and although he was shown a red card on top of his broken leg, it proved to be a match-saving intervention.

LAFC went on to win MLS Cup on penalties, with Crepeau only able to facetime his teammates after the match from the hospital. From that moment, it's been a tough journey to recovery that's involved a lot of physical and emotional pain - including missing the 2022 World Cup with Canada.

“You realize your leg is broken, and my first thought was, the game is not over, right?” Crepeau said (via the Globe and Mail). “But I’m kind of in a bit of a shock, and then I have the realization of the World Cup in three weeks. So that was my first five minutes after it happened. And then the pain just kind of creeps in there as well.”

Building up strength in his leg and trying to be ready as early into the 2023 season as possible hasn't been easy, but Crepeau takes strength from the gold star that can now be worn on his LAFC jersey.

“It’s not always beautiful, the journey,” Crepeau said. “There was a lot of pain [physically], and a lot of pain mentally as well, missing out on the World Cup. You’re at 100, and you go to zero in a split second.

"But when you wear that jersey and you see the [champion’s] star, I’m emotionally attached to it. Because for me, it’s non-negotiable. I always give 110 percent, whatever happens. I took the worst out of the hit, but that star is something to me. I left my leg for the star.”

With a contrasting 2022 now behind him, Crepeau is fully focused on keeping the good times rolling at BMO Stadium.

“It was a little bit bittersweet, but things happen,” he said of 2022, adding on the coming year: “And now we’ve got to make another trophy so I can enjoy it with the guys.”