Maxime Crépeau Bio
Maxime Crépeau is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers and the Canada national team. Born on May 11, 1994, in Greenfield Park, Quebec, he has spent more than a decade working his way through North American professional soccer. Over the course of his career, Crépeau has represented multiple clubs in Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League, and has featured for Canada at youth and senior levels.
Standing at 1.81 metres tall, Crépeau earned recognition through standout seasons in the USL and has gone on to compete in continental tournaments for Canada, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Copa América. His professional journey includes stints with the Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Los Angeles FC, and the Portland Timbers.
Early Life and Background
Maxime Crépeau was born on May 11, 1994, in Greenfield Park, Quebec, a borough of Longueuil on the south shore of Montreal. Growing up in a province with a deep passion for hockey and soccer, Crépeau was drawn to goalkeeping from a young age, training with local clubs in the Greater Montreal area. His development within Quebec’s competitive youth soccer environment laid the foundation for his future professional career.
Crépeau joined the Montreal Impact Academy of the Canadian Soccer League in 2010, where he continued to develop his goalkeeping craft alongside his academic commitments. After three seasons competing with the club’s Under-21 squad, he signed a senior contract with the Montreal Impact, becoming the team’s fourth Homegrown Player on a four-year contract. This pathway from academy to first team marked the formal beginning of his professional life in soccer.
Path to Professional Soccer
Crépeau’s progression through the Montreal Impact system represented a clear path from academy prospect to professional. After years of steady growth with the Under-21 squad, his signing as a Homegrown Player confirmed his status as one of the club’s most promising young goalkeepers. In January 2015, he completed a ten-day training stint with German club Fortuna Düsseldorf before returning to Montreal’s preseason camp for the 2015 MLS season.
Seeking consistent playing time, Crépeau was loaned to FC Montreal, the Impact’s USL affiliate team, where he made his professional debut against the Rochester Rhinos on May 2, 2015. He spent two seasons with FC Montreal before the club ceased operations after the 2016 season, gaining valuable senior-level experience.
Maxime Crépeau Career
Early Career (2013–2018)
Crépeau opened his senior career as the backup goalkeeper with the Montreal Impact, sitting on the bench during the second leg of the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League Finals. Following his loan spells with FC Montreal and the Ottawa Fury, he found his strongest form in the USL. While on loan at the Ottawa Fury in 2018, Crépeau played every match of the season and set a new USL record for most shutouts in a single season with 15, surpassing Brandon Miller’s previous mark.
His outstanding 2018 campaign earned him the USL Goalkeeper of the Year award and a place on the USL All-League First Team. Crépeau was also named USL Player of the Month for May 2018 after going six straight matches without conceding a goal. These performances established him as one of the top goalkeeping prospects in North America.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Breakthrough (2019–2021)
On December 9, 2018, Crépeau was traded to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in exchange for $50,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and a third-round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He made his Whitecaps debut in the season opener on March 2, 2019, against Minnesota United. Crépeau took over the starting goalkeeper role with the club in 2019 and 2020.
His progress in Vancouver was interrupted in 2020 when he suffered a fractured thumb during the MLS is Back Tournament, causing him to miss a large portion of that shortened season. Despite the setback, Crépeau was named Whitecaps’ Player of the Year in both 2019 and 2021, cementing his reputation as a reliable performer between the posts.
Los Angeles FC Era (2022–2023)
On January 20, 2022, Crépeau was traded to Los Angeles FC for $1 million in allocation money. He made his LAFC debut on February 26 in the season opener against the Colorado Rapids, keeping a clean sheet in a 3–0 victory. Crépeau started all but one match for LAFC during the 2022 regular season, establishing himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper alongside Tomas Romero and John McCarthy.
His LAFC tenure, however, ended in dramatic fashion during the 2022 MLS Cup Final. In extra time, Crépeau suffered a broken lower leg while attempting to defend a Philadelphia Union breakaway caused by an errant back pass. He was shown a red card on the play, but Los Angeles went on to win the match on penalties and claim the MLS Cup title. After recovering, Crépeau returned to the pitch on July 23, 2023, with MLS Next Pro side Los Angeles FC 2, captaining the team to a 2–1 victory over the Tacoma Defiance.
Portland Timbers Era (2024–Present)
Crépeau joined the Portland Timbers on January 17, 2024, beginning a new chapter in his MLS career. He made his Timbers debut on March 2, 2024, against D.C. United, and quickly integrated into the starting lineup. His experience and shot-stopping ability brought stability to Portland’s defensive structure throughout the season.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Crépeau’s career is his record-breaking 2018 USL season with the Ottawa Fury, when he set the all-time single-season shutouts record with 15 clean sheets. His selection as a starter for Canada’s run to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals marked his emergence as the national team’s first-choice goalkeeper. The broken leg suffered during the 2022 MLS Cup Final, despite the championship outcome, remains one of the most dramatic moments of his career.
Maxime Crépeau Career Highlights
Across his professional career, Maxime Crépeau has competed in Major League Soccer with Montreal, Vancouver, Los Angeles FC, and Portland, while also gaining extensive experience in the USL. He earned MLS Cup honours as part of the 2022 Los Angeles FC squad and received multiple individual awards throughout his time in the USL and MLS.
Major League Soccer Highlights
In MLS, Crépeau has served as a starting goalkeeper for multiple clubs, earning Vancouver Whitecaps Player of the Year honours in both 2019 and 2021. He kept a clean sheet in his Los Angeles FC debut and was part of the 2022 LAFC team that captured the MLS Cup. With the Portland Timbers, he continues to feature as a regular starter in the league.
Other Wins and Performances
In the USL, Crépeau’s 2018 season with the Ottawa Fury stands out as his most decorated campaign, during which he set the single-season shutouts record, earned Goalkeeper of the Year, and was named to the All-League First Team. He also posted a 5–1 victory in a 2016 friendly for Canada’s U23 team against Guyana, contributing to a strong run of youth international results.
Maxime Crépeau Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Maxime Crépeau was born and raised in Greenfield Park, Quebec. Details about his parents and broader family background are not widely documented in publicly available sources. His move to Los Angeles in 2022 was described as involving a “very special personal situation,” though Crépeau clarified that the decision was not connected to health issues for himself or his family.
2025 Season Outlook
Looking ahead to 2025, Maxime Crépeau is expected to continue as the starting goalkeeper for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer. After a full year of recovery and a return to consistent playing time in 2024, he enters the new season with restored fitness and an established role within the team. His experience at the MLS level, combined with his international pedigree, positions him as a key figure for Portland’s ambitions.
At the international level, Crépeau is likely to remain part of Canada’s goalkeeping pool following his inclusion in the 2024 Copa América squad. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching and set to be hosted in part within North America, the 2025 season will be an important opportunity for him to solidify his standing as a senior national team option.