THE BREAKDOWN: Luc De Fougerolles offers glimpse of high potential in latest CanMNT audition vs. Ukraine
Might we have just witnessed the start of Luc De Fougerolles’ summer breakout?
A 90-minute friendly against Ukraine is a small sample size, but De Fougerolles certainly made the most of the opportunity to shine, as he made his second start for the CanMNT (and third appearance overall) in a 4-2 win at BMO Field on Saturday.
Post-match thoughts from Luc de Fougerolles 🎙️
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 7, 2025
Réactions d’après-match de Luc de Fougerolles 🎙️
🇨🇦 🇺🇦 #CANMNT pic.twitter.com/zZP7G9JgNQ
In a game where Canada played without Moïse Bombito for the first time since Jesse Marsch’s hiring, this was an excellent opportunity for someone new to step up at the back, and the 19-year-old De Fougerolles made the most of the moment.
Ahead of a busy summer, with Canada set to embark on their journey through the Gold Cup on June 17th, it was a positive sign, as De Fougerolles showed that Bombito’s absence might not loom as large as originally anticipated.
That’s huge, as Bombito has arguably become the most important player in Marsch’s system, helping them undergo an impressive defensive transition, but Canada does have to prepare contingency plans ahead of the World Cup. Ultimately, a lot can happen before and during the World Cup, and Canada should understand what playing without Bombito might look like in these friendlies, instead of next summer.
Having fostered all sorts of competition across the roster over the past 12 months, with the results of that process on full display against Ukraine in the form of Tajon Buchanan’s long-awaited resurgence, Promise David’s magical debut goal, and Nathan Saliba’s composed midfield performance (among others), De Fougerolles showed that he can bring similar competition at centre back, a position where Canada has struggled to build depth in recent years.
Yet, this has been brewing, as De Fougerolles’ strong performance didn’t come out of nowhere. In fact, it can be argued that this has been a long time coming - it’s been approximately 11 months in the making.
It’s easy to forget, but De Fougerolles had a similar performance for Canada against Uruguay in the third-place match of the 2024 Copa América, as he was given a surprise start alongside Bombito in that one. There, the then 18-year-old didn’t look out of place against a relatively full-strength Uruguay side, offering a glimpse of his massive potential as a centre back.
Since then, however, it’s been a long road back to that next Canadian appearance. After missing out on Canada’s September friendlies vs. the US and Mexico, he returned in October for a friendly vs. Panama.
There, however, is where De Fougerolles hit a bump in the road. That camp, he suffered an injury in training, one that seemed minor at the time but ended up keeping him out until April, as he underwent surgery on his knee.
Because of that, he missed the chance to feature in that Panama match, Nations League quarter-finals vs. Suriname in November, or the Nations League finals in March, as there was a chance he could’ve earned more minutes in any of those matches.
Plus, more importantly, it set him back at the club level, as it felt like he could’ve had a big breakout season for Fulham. After having made his first team debut in 2023-2024, going the distance in an EFL Cup match against then Championship side Ipswich, it felt like he was on the cusp of more regular involvement in 2024-2025, with a potential Premier League debut on the cards.
Instead, that will have to wait until 2025-2026, although it was encouraging to see De Fougerolles get some minutes in for Fulham’s U21s at the end of the season, even captaining them on one occasion, serving as a reminder that he remains in their long-term plans.
Perhaps, however, some success with Canada can spur him on in that quest to become a Fulham first-team regular. Certainly, what he showed against Ukraine is a sign of what he can do against elevated competition.
In particular, what continues to stand out is what he can bring on the ball. Naturally, that is to be expected, as he was previously a midfielder and a full back, but he brings a certain level of composure that just can’t be taught. 
An example of what De Fougerolles can do on the ball, as he picks out Cyle Larin with a nice long ball (via OneSoccer/TSN)
On several occasions, he broke Ukraine’s press with brave moves, as he wasn’t scared to take an extra second on the ball if it meant opening up space for him to find a teammate.
In this clip, De Fougerolles does a great job of anticipating Ukraine's press, and stepping up with the ball before breaking a line with his pass (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Often, young centre backs can be guilty of rushing things on the ball, either going long unnecessarily or forcing things that aren’t on, but not De Fougerolles, who completed 39 out of 46 passes (86%), including two out of four long balls, 17 out of 20 forward passes, two passes into the final third and nabbed an assist.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 7, 2025
TAJON BUCHANAN GETS HIS GOAL 😎#CanMNT go up 4-0 over Ukraine 🇺🇦 as Tajon scores off a set piece routine ✨
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN pic.twitter.com/TBvisgbGMd
Plus, to further highlight that composure, he also completed two dribbles, showing that ability to step up on the ball, which helped Canada get out of a couple of sticky situations. 
This one didn't fully go to plan, but you do have to like the confidence from De Fougerolles to carry the ball up the pitch (via OneSoccer/TSN)
That’s huge, as Canada can sometimes be guilty of rushing things in possession, which can lead to sloppy turnovers. Of course, part of that comes down to their system, as they often try to play as directly as possible to try and catch opponents out of possession, but sometimes a patient approach can go a long way towards breaking teams down, and De Fougerolles can bring that to the table. 
This was an excellent passing sequence from De Fougerolles, who plays this 1-2 perfectly with Jonathan David. Look at how he receives the ball, waits for the right moment, and then finds David in space (via OneSoccer/TSN)
For as good as he was on the ball, however, that wasn’t what stood out about his performance vs. Ukraine. That’s a credit to him and how good he is in possession, but at the end of the day, he is a centre back, and that means that he has to defend.
And defend did he ever. The raw numbers certainly show that, as he won three out of three defensive duels and one out of two aerial duels, while also making a whopping nine interceptions, one sliding tackle, 11 recoveries and 11 clearances. 
An example of De Fougerolles making a good read, as he risks a cramp to cut off a dangerous Ukranian attack (via OneSoccer/TSN)
By the eye test, however, he was a confident and towering presence, making several commanding interventions. Not only did he not look like a 19-year-old, but he didn’t play like he was just 5’10”, either - he instead used his frame to his advantage, which can be hard for younger defenders to do.
As seen by the numbers, he didn’t contest a high number of aerial duels, showing that he knew better than to go up in the air against Ukraine’s striker, the 6’3” Roman Yaremchuk. Instead, he used his intelligence to anticipate plays before they even happened, hence his high number of recoveries and interceptions, which really stood out. 
This clip might be the perfect example of what De Fougerolles brings at centre back. Here, he makes a nice interception, and then helps Canada build out of the back and beat Ukraine's press, doing so with ease (via OneSoccer/TSN)
That’s huge, as that defensive intelligence is going to need to be his calling card if he wants to become a regular starter for Canada and Fulham. He’s got the skill on the ball to keep up at the highest level, but that won’t matter if his inclusion at the back causes his team to leak goals. 
Another example of De Fougerolles using defence to attack, as he intercepts a ball and jumpstarts a Canadian counter (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Plus, even those who are taller still have to be capable of reading the game - there’s a reason why Bombito is averaging 5 interceptions and 11.39 recoveries for Canada since Marsch’s arrival - that’s just part of being a centre back at the highest level.
From there, the aggression he showed almost feels like a bonus. It almost goes without saying, but you’ve got to also love to get stuck in to be a defender, and De Fougerolles showed that he has no problem making tackles and doing so with a smile on his face - safe to say his academy days in England have rubbed off on him. 
De Fougerolles best defensive moment vs. Ukraine - a crunching tackle to stop a dangerous counter (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Yet, that’s why Marsch was quite pleased to see De Fougerolles step up the way he did in this match. Since his arrival, he’s constantly stressed the need for his players to be more aggressive, which is why he’s become enamoured with players like Bombito, Alistair Johnston, Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David, among many others, who despite all playing very differently, show that aggression in what they do on both sides of the ball.
De Fougerolles has shown that he can bring that aggressiveness to the table, and that certainly paid off for him against Ukraine.
“Look, with Luc De Fougerolles, I've had a lot of questions over the last week about who to keep an eye on, and my answer has often been Luc,” Marsch said. “He's an incredibly intelligent player, but he's very aggressive. Today was a day when it looked like he was just always in the right place, and then with the ball, he's brave, he's not afraid to make mistakes, and he has the right kind of behaviours and habits, so I thought it was a strong performance from him.”
Now, the goal will be for De Fougerolles to build off this performance. With the Gold Cup around the corner, there’s going to be an open audition for someone to step up as Bombito’s replacement, and it’ll be up to De Fougerolles to show that even if he lacks the experience of Kamal Miller or Joel Waterman, that he can step up and deliver a performance like this in big matches. 
Some last De Fougerolles clips to look at - in this one, he shows his composure on the ball (via OneSoccer/TSN)
With his injury woes behind him, a huge 12 months awaits him, and there’d be no better way to kick off what’s to come than with a big summer, one that sees him play a big role in Canada’s quest to end a 25-year trophy drought.
It might seem far-fetched at the moment, but there’s a reality where De Fougerolles is a key part of Canada’s 2026 World Cup squad, as he could become the main backup for Bombito and Cornelius, who have been Marsch’s preferred centre back pair, or even slot in alongside Bombito as a starter if he really takes a big step forward. 
Here's more composure on the ball from De Fougerolles (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Given what he’s already shown for his age, that breakout is coming, and it might become hard for Marsch to keep him off the field if he starts bringing these performances for Fulham’s first team, for example. 
And one last clip of De Fougerolles showing his composure on the ball (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Before then, however, helping Canada on their Gold Cup quest is an excellent place to start, so look for him to build on what he showed against Ukraine going forward, as Canada could certainly keep using more performances like that going forward.
