Canadian winger Jacob Shaffelburg is scheduled for surgery on Friday to address a degenerative condition, as announced by Los Angeles FC. The MLS team stated that the recovery process is expected to take around eight weeks and aims to completely resolve the issue, ensuring Shaffelburg is prepared for the 2026 season. Originally from Port Williams, Nova Scotia, the 26-year-old had recently joined Canada coach Jesse Marsch’s January training camp in California. Canada Soccer confirmed that Toronto FC winger Malik Henry will take Shaffelburg’s place in the camp.
Shaffelburg, who was acquired by LAFC in a trade on December 29 that saw Nashville SC receive $1 million in general allocation money, has recorded six goals and one assist in 31 appearances for Canada, including 12 starts. The ongoing Canadian camp will continue until January 18 in Irvine, featuring a friendly match against Guatemala, ranked 94th, on January 17 at BMO Stadium, the home ground of LAFC. This encounter marks the first meeting 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 was red-carded in the first half.
On the other hand, Malik Henry, aged 23, has previously represented Canada at the under-15 level and signed a senior team contract with Toronto FC in August last year.