It's been quite a week for Luc de Fougerolles, and it's not over yet.
The London-born defender, who qualifies for Canada through his Canadian-born father, turned 18 in Japan where he is wearing Canadian colours for the first time. De Fougerolles and the 44th-ranked Canadians take on No. 19 Japan on Friday in Niigata in an international friendly.
Interim Canada coach Mauro Biello is no stranger to the Fulham teenager, having called him up twice earlier this year to the Canadian under-20 team. But first COVID and then exams got in the way.
This time, there were no obstacles.
"Finally. It's been a long time coming," de Fougerolles said. "But I'm happy to be with the national team."
It's been quite a journey with the call-up to the senior side somewhat unexpected, despite regular contact with Biello.
De Fougerolles' father Jean is originally from Montreal but settled in England after coming to London to study.
A young Luc was spotted by both Fulham and Chelsea. After spending time at Fulham at the age of six, he had a tryout at Chelsea before returning to Fulham and joining the Cottagers' under-eight team.
"I've been there my whole life basically, knowing the people there (and) loving it" de Fougerolles said of Fulham, whose Craven Cottage home sits on the bank of the Thames.
While a Fulham fan growing up, he liked to watch former Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
Today, he is a regular starter in Premier League 2, which is made up of Premier League under-21 teams. And he saw first-team action for the Premier League team during its pre-season U.S. tour this summer against Chelsea and Aston Villa.
"A very good step-up. Playing some men's football which is obviously very good for me," said de Fougerolles, who has also trained with the first team.
De Fougerolles, who has visited family in Canada several times, has already impressed Biello.
"He's done really well," Biello said Thursday from Japan. "A young kid, he's blended in. He's brave on the ball, really confident. He's fearless defensively. It's really good to get him into the environment … He fit right in."
De Fougerolles, who signed his first pro contract in April, plays both centre back and right back and is comfortable on the ball.
"I like to have the ball at my feet and I like to play out," he said.
Canada sat out the FIFA September international window, with Canada Soccer pointing to "financial constraints'' and its "inability to confirm an additional high-quality opponent.''
So the game against Japan serves as the Canadian men's team's one warm-up ahead of a pair of crucial November CONCACAF Nations League matches that serve as Copa America qualifiers.
Japan, the top-ranked team in Asia, is coming off September wins over No. 15 Germany (4-2) and No. 42 Turkey (4-1). And it plays No. 29 Tunisia in Kobe four days after the Canada game as it gears up for the start of its 2026 World Cup qualification campaign in November and the Asian Cup in January.
Goalkeeper Milan Borjan will captain Canada at the Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata. Alphonso Davies is expected to start at left fullback, as he does for Bayern Munich, rather than in a more forward attacking role.
Influential midfielder Stephen Eustaquio will miss the game through injury, however. Biello said Eustaquio arrived with a knock from a weekend game with Portugal's FC Porto and wasn't deemed fit to play.
Eustaquio has since returned home to rehab the injury. Canada did not call up a replacement, citing the difficulties in getting someone to Japan in time.
Canada has history in Niigata, losing 3-0 to Japan at the same venue at the 2001 Confederations Cup. Paul Stalteri, one of Biello's assistant coaches, was part of that Canadian squad.
The Canadian men are 1-2-0 all-time against Japan, winning 2-1 the last time they met — in a World Cup warm-up game last November.
Canada, along with the 11th-ranked U.S., No. 12 Mexico and No. 46 Costa Rica, has been drawn directly into the two-legged Nations League quarterfinals. The winners there qualify for the 2024 Copa America as well as the Nations League finals in March.
The quarterfinals losers will meet in a pair of play-In matches to determine the final two CONCACAF teams at Copa America.
Canada Soccer announced Thursday that the Canada return leg of the home-and-away quarterfinal will take place Nov. 21 at Toronto's BMO Field. Canada's opponent will be determined during the October international window.
The Canadian men are 4-2-2 this year, last playing in July when they lost a penalty shootout to the U.S. in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal in Cincinnati. Both 2023 losses came at the hands of the Americans.
The Japanese roster includes Liverpool's Wataru Endo, Monaco's Takumi Minamino, Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo. But Lazio's Daichi Kamada and Freiburg's Ritsu Doan miss out, reportedly for conditioning reasons.
The Japanese won their group at last year's World Cup, posting 2-1 wins over No. 10 Spain and Germany around a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, before falling to No. 6 Croatia in a penalty shootout in the round of 16.
Canada, in its first trip the men's World Cup in 36 years, exited Qatar after first-round losses to No. 5 Belgium, Croatia and No. 13 Morocco.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2023.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press