Canadian international Luc de Fougerolles appears to have avoided a serious injury, after the Real Salt Lake defender limped off the field and straight to the locker room during the team’s 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday.
De Fougerolles’ first MLS goal opened the scoring in the 79th minute, but he was taken off just three minutes later and head coach Pablo Mastroeni said he needed help reaching the locker room.
On an appearance on a Utah-based radio show DJ&PK on Friday, Mastroeni delivered a positive update on the defender’s status.
“Yesterday he was walking again,” Mastroeni said. “His availability [for this] weekend is basically dependent upon how he feels this morning and if he feels he can push off it. He said he felt a ton better when we saw him yesterday, and now we’re waiting for him to come in, get some treatment and see where he’s at.”
“He’s been the mentality, the quality, the bravery, that we’ve needed around here, and it’s rubbed off on the guys in a real positive way. I hope he’s available for this weekend, but if he’s not he won’t be out beyond this weekend is what it looks like.”
Immediately following the game, Mastroeni addressed the situation in a much more somber tone, saying that the injury “doesn’t look good... I don’t want to overreact to this moment but he needed help getting to the locker room.”
Canada’s Men’s National Team still dealing with injury troubles
The injury could have been another significant blow to Canada’s men’s national team, which has seen its backline decimated by injuries with a two-game Concacaf Nations League quarter-final looming next month.
Defenders Derek Cornelius, Moise Bombito, Alistair Johnston, and Alfie Jones are all currently sidelined by injuries with their clubs, while winger Tajon Buchanan is also out.
De Fougerolles, who has a goal and an assist in two games with Real Salt Lake, appeared in all five of Canada’s games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He spent last season with FC Dender in Belgium, appearing in 30 games across all competitions.
A native of London, de Fougerolles was eligible to play for Canada through his Canadian father.