For Portland Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, it’s almost surreal. For Canada, it certainly is.
Less than two years removed from missing out on the FIFA 2022 World Cup after breaking his leg at that year's MLS Cup final, Crépeau has emerged as Canada’s No. 1 goalkeeper at the 2024 Copa América. The 30-year-old kept his second straight clean sheet on Saturday night as Les Rouges booked a spot in the tournament quarterfinals with a scoreless draw against Chile in their Group A finale.
“My wife is here, and we shared a fantastic hug at the moment before the game because we both know what we’ve been through,” Crépeau said in a post-game interview with TSN. “We’re going to enjoy this moment, take it in, and recover and look forward.”
Defying the odds
Crépeau is just one of many inspiring stories on the CanMNT, who significantly bolstered their international reputation by advancing from a group that also featured defending Copa América and World Cup champions Argentina.
And they did it not even two months into new head coach Jesse Marsch's tenure. The former CF Montréal and New York Red Bulls boss quickly put his stamp on the CanMNT and prepared them for the big stage, with a pair of high-profile friendlies against the Netherlands and France.
Despite debuting with a 2-0 loss against Argentina, Canada were deserved 1-0 winners against Peru in their second match before taking care of business against Chile at Orlando City SC’s Inter&Co Stadium.
"We are not satisfied"
“I thought we would get out of the group, I really did,” Marsch said. “I knew it was going to be a big challenge. Mostly, I was trying to prepare the team to understand the savviness, intelligence and strength of South American teams.
“When I took over the team, there was a lot of talk about defensive fragilities, and no one was sure about how the team would be able to defend moving forward, so it's not just the goalkeeper and the defenders, the entire team has been tactically very organized and very disciplined, and it's meant that we’re very difficult to play against.”
Since transitioning from former boss John Herdman (now in charge of Toronto FC), the CanMNT find themselves in a realm of expectation, not just satisfaction, even with speed bumps on and off the pitch throughout the past two-and-a-half years.
“We’re still young and a little naive. I’ve been using the term grow up. We’ve had to grow up with our young group quickly and understand what high-level football is and certainly what South American edge and power and competitive will is like,” Marsch said. “Looking forward, we are not satisfied. The group isn’t satisfied. They want to keep going. They want to push this thing, no matter who our next opponent is.”
Looking ahead
Although Canada won the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup and have gone to two World Cups, advancing from the Copa América group stage ranks as one of, if not the most significant moment in the nation’s soccer history.
Up next is a July 5 quarterfinal against the winner of Group B, which is currently led by Venezuela. Ecuador and Concacaf rivals Mexico also could take the top spot.
“I knew we were going to have some fun together, so I'm enjoying being their coach," Marsch said. "I'm very proud of this accomplishment, but again, we're not satisfied and looking forward to the game on Friday.”
