2025 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year Arrives via Six-Month Loan;
British-born Centerback Made Five World Cup Appearances This Summer for Canada
HERRIMAN, Utah (Saturday, September 5, 2026) — Real Salt Lake announced today it has acquired 20-year-old Canadian World Cup DF Luc de Fougerolles via loan from Fulham FC of the English Premier League. The latest arrival at the close of Wednesday’s 2026 secondary window for Major League Soccer, de Fougerolles’ agreement extends through the 2026 calendar year, with the option to extend through the MLS 2027 Sprint Season.
De Fougerolles (PRONOUNCED foo - zhuh - ROLL), born Oct. 12, 2005, in London, England, made five appearances (four starts) this summer for Canada in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, amongst his 18 career senior caps at centerback for his country. The arrival of the Canadian defender becomes the sixth external addition to the RSL roster this window, with de Fougerolles joining Saba Lobjanidze (July 1), Colin Guske (Aug. 21), Jason Shokalook, Taylor Booth and Dušan Žagar (Sept. 2).
“This move came together very quickly,” said de Fougerolles late Friday, upon his arrival in Utah. “The style of play, along with the aims and ambitions of Real Salt Lake as a whole, give me a lot of confidence that this would be the right move and will help me progress, while showcasing my abilities and most importantly, helping the team.
“For me, the aim is clearly to achieve the playoffs, then make a run in and who knows then what can happen.
“In my call with the Club, I spoke to (manager) Pablo (Mastroeni) and really liked what he had to say. That call was a big reason for this move, due to his ideas and the collective style of play, which will suit me very well. I feel like I can learn a lot from him and this group.
“Obviously, being from Canada I know a lot about MLS and how competitive it is, and the quality of the players and teams in the league. Especially on thr heels of the World Cup, MLS is just getting bigger and bigger, so now I just can’t wait to get started and play in front of all the fans.”
De Fougerolles recently played 67 minutes in an EFL Cup start in Fulham’s 3-0 win over Wimbledon on August 27, his second career first-team appearance with the Cottagers. Over the last year, de Fougerolles played in 30 matches on loan to Belgian side FCV Dender. As part of the Fulham youth setup from 2021-2024, de Fougerolles made 84 appearances prior to his senior team debut.
"The arrival of Luc to our Club for the final third of the 2026 season will certainly be additive to our back-line options," said Real Salt Lake Chief Soccer Officer Kurt Schmid, noting that the summer 2026 window has been the most active in RSL’s 22-year history. "His recent World Cup experience, combined with his high level in the Fulham setup the last several years should afford him the opportunity to make an immediate impact as we pursue postseason success."
The English-born de Fougerolles is the son of a Quebecois Canadian father and an Iranian-born English mother, holding dual British and Canadian citizenship. In October 2023, de Fougerolles accepted a call-up to the senior Canuck side ahead of a friendly away against Japan, later making his debut for Canada as a late substitute against Trinidad & Tobago in a 2024 Copa América qualifying playoff that March. In June 2024, de Fougerolles was named to Canada's 2024 Copa America squad, appearing in the starting XI for that tournament’s Third-Place game against Uruguay.
In July 2025, de Fougerolles was called up to represent Canada on the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup selection, later being honored as Canada’s Young Player of the Year for 2025. After being named to Jesse Marsch’s Canada World Cup squad this May, de Fougerolles started Canada's opening match of the tournament, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Bosnia in Toronto, also featuring in Canada's 6-0 group stage win against Qatar. De Fougerolles returned to the starting lineup for the Round of 16 match against Morocco on July 4, suffering a 3-0 defeat to end Canada's run at the tournament, the deepest in the nation's history at a men's World Cup.
TRANSACTION: Real Salt Lake (MLS) acquires DF Luc de Fougerolles via loan from Fulham FC (English Premier League) on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. the agreement signed through the 2026 calendar year, with an option to extend for the 2027 MLS Sprint Season.
Luc de Fougerolles - #xx
Position: Defender
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 180 lbs.
Date of Birth: 12 October 2005
Hometown: London, England
Birthplace: London, England
Citizenship: Canadian / British
Last Club: Fulham FC (English Premier League)
RSL tonoght hosts Western Conference rival Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) with Saturday’s kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT on Apple TV. Four of RSL’s next six matches during the month of September will be played at America First Field, where RSL owns a 10-2-2 (W-L-T) record across all competitions this year, with a dominant 18-5-4 (W-L-T) mark in Sandy since June 1, 2025. Tickets for all RSL and Utah Royals FC (NWSL) events are available at www.RSL.com/tickets.
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