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TORONTO — Bearing a French-Canadian name yet speaking with an English accent, Luc De Fougerolles looked bewildered when a French journalist directed a question his way in Montréal.
Born and bred in London and groomed through Fulham's youth academy, the 20-year-old central defender has pledged his allegiance to Canada. Just one week before a home World Cup, he found himself caught in a swirl of languages following a 1–1 draw with Ireland before an electric, sold-out crowd at Stade Saputo.
The catch—he doesn't speak a word of French. The Francophone surname traces back to his father, Jean, a Montréal native who connected him with Canada Soccer through a LinkedIn message back in 2018.
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In an ideal scenario for Canada and head coach Jesse Marsch, the young defender wouldn't be thrust into the spotlight. However, after key center back Moïse Bombito was unable to get past 30 minutes in the friendly victory over Uzbekistan, De Fougerolles has been propelled to the forefront.
Bombito, regarded as one of the quickest defenders on the continent, has featured for just those minutes since suffering a leg fracture in Ligue 1 last October. There were optimistic expectations he'd return to peak form for a World Cup on home soil, but those hopes didn't materialize.
Enter De Fougerolles, who spent his first professional campaign with FCV Dender on loan from Fulham, fighting alongside the club as they ultimately dropped to the Belgian second division. Now, armed with just 13 Canada caps, he'll step onto the stage of a home World Cup on Friday when Canada take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field.
"I've always had confidence in myself, I've always kind of known I'm a capable player, I've kind of done the right things every day for club and country," De Fougerolles said three days before Canada's opening fixture, smiling on a sweltering, humid afternoon in North Toronto. "I wouldn't say you expect it, but obviously you're ready if the opportunity comes to take it... I've been working my entire life for moments like this."
After facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Canada shift their base to Vancouver, where they'll contest both remaining Group B fixtures against Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24, with the possibility of staying on home ground should they finish atop the group.
Depth Shines in Next Man Up
Next man up has served as the rallying cry for this Canadian squad throughout the past 18 months.
Since Alphonso Davies and Bombito last featured for the national team in March 2025, the 2024 Copa América semifinalists have leaned on remarkable squad depth to keep performing—and now arrive at the World Cup on home soil carrying those same fitness concerns.
"You could debate this all day...but that's because the team is strong, right, and the squad is strong," Marsch said. "What a fortunate position we find ourselves in, in that regard."
Davies has been working through a return-to-play program since joining camp, but is expected to sit out the Bosnia match, with meaningful contributions likely delayed until potentially the knockout stages.
Bosnia & Herzegovina told media players would speak at 5:45pm with training beginning at 6pm.
However, B&H arrived to training an hour early with players available for interviews starting at 4:50pm.
Canadian media (who were present) were only allowed to ask two questions as a… pic.twitter.com/oOmMqMMKfn
Nikola Vasilj, who plies his trade in the Bundesliga and is expected to start for Bosnia, described Davies as "Canada's most important player," having previously faced the Bayern Munich star. "It's a good thing for us [that he's injured]," he noted, in one of the limited questions Canadian journalists were permitted to put to Bosnian players, after the federation altered the media schedule without warning. "But it doesn't mean that it's going to be easy or different, and for us, it doesn't change a lot."
While everyone would prefer a fully fit squad, Marsch has spoken of a composed atmosphere in the tournament build-up. He's been actively shielding the group from negativity and kicked off camp with a sage-burning ceremony intended to clear away negative energy.
On Friday, the focus won't be on who's absent, but on who's present, as Canada roll into BMO Field—their familiar home ground—with considerable depth and under vastly different circumstances, accompanied by a police motorcade, and set to perform in front of more than 45,000 supporters against a formidable Bosnian side.
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A Physical Battle in Toronto
Canada has braced for a physical contest against Bosnia, whose players average 6'1" in height—the tallest squad among the World Cup's 48 nations. For a center back partnership of Derek Cornelius (6'2") and De Fougerolles (5'11"), it represents a stern test.
De Fougerolles is well aware of the challenge, as is his teammate Promise David, an energetic and powerful striker who plays for Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise and bounced back from hip surgery in February to earn a spot on Canada's World Cup roster.
In Belgium and on the training pitch, he's gone up against De Fougerolles—and despite the imposing presence of the likes of Edin Džeko and Ermedin Demirović, David has no doubts about the young defender.
"Whenever I'm playing against Luc, I'm always careful about my well-being," David chuckled to reporters. "Because I don't think Luc gives a f--- about anybody's Achilles or bones or anything."
Beyond the physical dimension, David also backs the Canadian attackers to hit their stride within Marsch's relentless pressing setup, with a potential heavy downpour possibly forcing errors and creating openings in Bosnia's defensive line.
"Everybody knows if the rain comes, you have to play smarter, but for a striker, when there's rain, you know that defenders are gonna slip and passes are going to go faster, or they might slow down," David said. "When there's rain, my life gets a lot easier."
A Special Opportunity in Toronto
When De Fougerolles wakes up on Friday, he won't be altering anything in his pre-match routine. When David gets up, he said the plan will be "same s---, different day," and that he'll eat, watch anime and catch some more sleep.
In the week leading into the World Cup, it hasn't quite felt like the World Cup many had envisioned. For five players, the Toronto FC training facility has been a familiar haunt since their youth days. A handful of advertising boards and fresh branding don't change that feeling. It won't truly sink in until Friday morning.
In both Toronto and Vancouver, the buzz has been building rapidly, yet the World Cup still feels somewhat distant. Stadiums stand ready, Vancouver's Science World has been dressed up as the official match ball, and in Toronto, it's nearly impossible to walk a block without spotting World Cup signage or someone wearing a national kit.
On Friday morning, rain or shine, something will shift.
Suddenly, Canadian supporters will be fully invested, with thousands expected to join a march to the stadium, while Bosnian ultras plan to do the same, all building toward 2:54 p.m. ET, when Alanis Morissette belts out 'O Canada,' and the 26 men officially join the short list of Canadians to have competed at the men's World Cup.
"We can't wait for the fight. We feel ready and prepared," David added. "It's like the first day of college, not school, since nobody wants to go back to school after summer vacations all over, but with the first day of university, you're excited to get in and hit the ground running."