CSA Hands Ledgerwood Three-Match Ban

The Canada Soccer Disciplinary Committee has handed a three match ban to Cavalry assistant coach Nik Ledgerwood.

While the official CSA website confirms the ban without further context, it has been reported that the 38-year-old was sanctioned for using ‘offensive, insulting, or abusive language’ towards a member of the Atletico Ottawa technical staff.

Ledgerwood’s side had hosted last year’s regular season champions over the long weekend, locking in a two-nil win to bank their first three-pointer of the season. While it was all smiles for Cavalry and head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. at the final whistle, evidently there was some heat spewing onto the sidelines throughout the day.

While it was reported that Ledgerwood was ejected from the match, we weren’t able to confirm when this altercation and the subsequent ejection occurred, or what exactly was said.

That means that the gaffer’s assistant coach won’t be on the sidelines for the club’s away trip against York United this weekend, nor the two-match homestand afterwards which sees league rival Forge FC and newcomers Vancouver FC swing by Spruce Meadows.

The 38-year-old is in the midst of his second season an a coaching role with Cavalry FC, the place in which he’d wrapped a a twenty-year playing career. Having completed his Canada Soccer A license, he’ll also help the women’s national team at the World Cup this year as he seeks to put the building blocks in place to take on a head coach role at some point in the future.

It’s far from the first time members of a club’s technical staff have been given suspensions (in fact, Atletico Ottawa’s David Galan was away this weekend serving his own suspension), though the club will be dismayed at the length of his suspension.

Post-match there were no questions related to Ledgerwood, with head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. simply looking forward to building on the win’s momentum:

“We’re only six games into the season, we’re not going to get too carried away – it’s a marathon, not a sprint. But wins, you’ve got to start with one before you collect them all,” he said to media following the match.

The club still has Leon Hapgood set to assist Tommy Wheeldon Jr. for the matches to come, though it’s unclear if anyone will fill in for Ledgerwood throughout the next three games.