Canadian soccer player Jacob Shaffelburg is set to undergo surgery on Friday to address a degenerative condition, as confirmed by Los Angeles FC. The MLS team mentioned that the expected recovery time is around eight weeks, with the surgery aimed at completely resolving the issue to ensure Shaffelburg is prepared for the 2026 season.
Hailing from Port Williams, N.S., the 26-year-old was part of Canada coach Jesse Marsch’s January camp in California. Due to the upcoming surgery, Toronto FC’s Malik Henry will step in for Shaffelburg, as announced by Canada Soccer.
Shaffelburg, who was acquired by LAFC in a trade with Nashville SC on December 29, where Nashville received $1 million in general allocation money, has recorded six goals and one assist in 31 appearances for the Canadian national team, with 12 starts included.
The Canadian training camp is ongoing until January 18 in Irvine, featuring a friendly match against Guatemala ranked 94th in the world on January 17 at BMO Stadium, the home of LAFC. This game marks the first encounter between the two teams since Guatemala eliminated Canada from the Gold Cup last June in Minneapolis through a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, during which Shaffelburg received a red card in first-half stoppage time.
Meanwhile, Henry, who has previously represented Canada at the under-15 level and is now 23 years old, secured a first-team contract with Toronto FC in August last year.