Luc de Fougerolles made his first start for Canada in Saturday night’s Copa América third-place play-off against Uruguay.
The 18-year-old played 67 minutes, with the score at 1-1 when the young defender was substituted for Derek Cornelius. Canada looked as though they’d secured a third-place finish when Jonathan David made it 2-1 in the 80th minute, but they were cruelly denied by Luis Suárez’s stoppage-time equaliser.
Uruguay went on to win 4-3 on penalties, with Suárez scoring the decisive spot kick.
Luc only made his Canada debut back in March, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago. This was a completely different task for Luc, who was in from the off, coming up against a Uruguay side that featured the likes of Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez, Federico Valverde of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid defender José María Giménez.
Speaking after the game, Luc said: “It was a really tough one to take but I thought the boys played really well.
“There were definitely some nerves. I started a bit slow, getting used to the pace of the game because it’s obviously a bit quicker to what I’m used to. As the game went on, I definitely felt more comfortable. It was an amazing experience and one I’ll remember forever.
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“The last seven weeks that we’ve been together have been amazing, from the camps in Europe to here. These have been some of the best moments of my life and I can’t wait to be back with the boys in September.”
Canada face USA and Mexico in friendlies in September.
