Experience is key in the progression of a young player, and for young goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, he can add another one to his young career as he just returned from a three-week training stint with Bologna F.C.
“It was a really great experience,” said Crépeau, who became the first player to take advantage of the relationship between the clubs. “It was a fantastic learning experience, both personally and professionally.”
The 21-year-old keeper has some interesting experience under his belt, having already backstopped Canada at the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2011, but the 21-year-old was really excited about training in Italy.
“I was on the plane on the way and I was reading a book to learn Italian words,” he revealed. “But since Italian has similarities to French, I mostly understood what they were saying. I used a lot of sign language to respond though! Everyone was so nice and welcoming; it made for a very easy transition.”
The language wasn’t the only novelty he was introduced to while in Bologna.
“One of the things I noticed is that in warmups before the game, they use the gym to ensure that they are 100% ready for game time. I realized while there that I need to work on my balance a little and be more aggressive when attacking the ball with my hands.”
Crépeau was also marked by the technical abilities of the players he trained with.
“Anthony Mounier is very fast and technically sound. It was fun to watch him make runs, taking players with him and thus freeing up his teammates in the offensive zone. Both goalkeepers (Angelo De Costa and Antonio Mirante) are 32 years old, and in incredible shape. That impressed me a lot. Watching Matia Destro (former Italian national team striker) in the box was remarkable.”
Although the training stint didn’t give him too much game time, the Impact Academy product played a solid 25 minutes in an intra-squad game and got to take in the Bologna/AC Milan match at San Siro as a spectator.
Despite just getting back on Thursday, there is no time off for Crépeau as he is heading to California, looking for his first cap in his second national team senior camp.
