Canadian international Jacob Shaffelburg has joined the Los Angeles Football Club.
The acquisition of the 26-year-old winger in a trade with Nashville SC was announced Monday.
LAFC exchanged $1 million in General Allocation Money — $500,000 in 2026 and $500,000 in 2027 — for the Nova Scotian, who played the previous four seasons in Tennessee, where he made 65 starts in 107 appearances in all competitions, tallying 14 goals and 17 assists.
“Jacob is a versatile, attack-minded player who brings incredible pace and intensity to our group,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said in a statement announcing the transfer. “He has proven himself at the international level with Canada and enters an important year with big ambitions ahead, hopefully including the World Cup.”
The forward is the second Canadian international to join LAFC on a permanent deal this offseason, following midfielder Mathieu Choinière.
Shaffelburg made his Canadian men’s national team debut in 2020 and helped secure a qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending the country’s 36-year drought. He has 12 starts in 31 caps, finishing six goals and adding an assist.
For Nashville, which retains a sell-on percentage if the Canadian is transferred from LAFC, Shaffelburg netted a career-high four goals in 2025, all during Major League Soccer regular season competition.
Originally signed to MLS as a homegrown player out of the Toronto FC academy in 2019, Shaffelburg played three years with The Reds. He was named the Canadian Soccer Association’s best young player in 2021.
Shaffelburg was loaned to Nashville midway through 2022 before being permanently acquired and signing a contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027. He earned $470,000 in guaranteed compensation last year. Entering his eighth season as a professional, Shaffelburg’s move to Los Angeles falls under those contractual terms.
After playing with talented attackers Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge in Nashville, which won a franchise-record 16 league games and its first trophy, the U.S. Open Cup, in 2025, Shaffelburg has a chance to showcase his skills alongside Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga in LAFC’s high-powered attack.
“He is a person of high character, who approaches the game with humility, professionalism, and a team-first mindset,” Thorrington said. “We’re excited to add Jacob to our strong returning core and to welcome him, his wife Robyne, and his children to the LAFC family.”