Chris Jones is in Wales with Canada’s men’s soccer team as it continues preparations for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Luc de Fougerolles, Canada’s ascendant 19-year-old defender, waited in the team’s hotel lobby on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours before his side took on Wales in Swansea. The sliding doors opened, and a woman walked in with a huge smile. De Fougerolles smiled back, and he stood up to hug his mum.
More family followed, including his father, Jean. Luc was born in London, and his parents still live there, but he can play for Canada because Jean de Fougerolles was born in Montreal. In 2018, when Canada was named a co-host of next summer’s World Cup and Luc was 11 years old, he came to his dad with a plan.
He’s close to making his childhood dream come true. He started against Wales, the first time his family has been able to watch him play for Canada in person, and they saw him anchor a thrilling 1-0 win. The Canadian men, who hadn’t won in Europe since 2011, had now won twice in Europe in the same window, and with back-to-back clean sheets.
“The best ten days we’ve had together,” head coach Jesse Marsch said after.
WATCH | Derek Cornelius scores on free kick against Wales:
Derek Cornelius scored his first international goal for Canada in a 1-0 victory of Wales, in a men’s international friendly in Swansea, U.K.
De Fougerolles also started last week’s 3-0 win over Romania, filling in for the injured Moise Bombito alongside Derek Cornelius, Canada’s two presumptive starting central defenders. But his play — the continuation of a mostly excellent several months for him with the national team — is giving Marsch different combinations to consider.
“If we were to pinpoint the best thing that happened for us over the summer, it was Luc,” Marsch said last week in Bucharest.
It was a heavy burden for a teenager — and his far-away family — to carry. De Fougerolles credits his resilience to their love and, in turn, his love for the game.
“If you want to play at the highest level, the mental part of your game is so important,” he said in an exclusive interview with CBC. “I enjoy a high-pressure environment. I take risks when I play. I play without fear. I enjoy playing football so much, and the fact that I enjoy playing it so much helps my mentality.”
From the beginning of the night against Wales, he was the picture of a hard, committed centre back: the only player in short sleeves during the rain-lashed warmup — “He loves the cold and wet,” Jean de Fougerolles said — and in old-school black boots.
WATCH | Chris Jones on camaraderie of Canada’s men’s team:
CBC Sports Senior Contributor Chris Jones on growing camaraderie of Canada’s men’s soccer team.
His position is probably the least celebrated on the field, but it was a special night for his partner, too. Cornelius scored Canada’s lone goal with a long, composed free kick late in the first half, a triumph shared by set-piece coach Nicolas Gagnon, appointed by Marsch in May.
“That was a great goal,” Marsch said. “With the athleticism and size we have on our team, we have to become a good set-piece team.”
Earlier in the window, Cornelius had talked admiringly of de Fougerolles, who headed away a good Welsh chance in the second half to keep the Canadian lead. Not every teenager has that measure of calm and resolve, especially in a tightening game.
“No one is feeling any kind of way about him because he missed two penalties,” Cornelius said. “What really speaks to him is that he stepped up to take them in big-pressure moments. It’s not easy to do that. That’s how you gain respect. Anyone can hit or miss. It’s the action of going to take the penalty that counts.”
Now Cornelius, too, has joined the ranks of the takers, and Canada’s central defenders — a significant weakness not so long ago — seem poised to become one of their team’s better properties. They don’t feel pressure. They are the pressure, and, like the love that made them, they are all the stronger for it.
