Tommy Wheeldon Jr. didn’t need to look too far to find the first players signed to Cavalry FC.
In fact, Nik Ledgerwood and Sergio Camargo were both natural choices for Wheeldon Jr., who had previously coached the pair in the PDL with Calgary Foothills FC.
Camargo, who spent most of his youth career in and around the Toronto area, told CanPL.ca he already has a “feeling of home” in Calgary, adding that the club has taken him in “with open arms.”
He’s hoping standout goal-scoring performances with Cavalry FC can open the door for a look by the Canadian men’s national team. It’s a “more attainable goal” now, after all.
Camargo’s addition was a bigger surprise than Ledgerwood’s. The vastly experienced Canadian international has been tight-lipped about his future, despite featuring prominently as a face for the Canadian Premier League when the league was first announced.
His picture has hung in the walls of the CPL’s headquarters in Toronto since that day, too.
“I was here day one,” Ledgerwood told CanPL.ca, with a laugh. “It seems like I have been here for a while. It’s a long time coming. But it’s nice to finally have the signing done and be able to tell people I’m playing for Cavalry.
“Starting everything from scratch is what really appealed to me,” Ledgerwood added. “The idea of being one of the first players signed in the CPL was very attractive to me.”
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Ledgerwood – a father of two young children and a stalwart for Canadian soccer with 50 senior national team appearances – will be a “cornerstone” for Wheeldon Jr.’s team.
Despite his versatility, Ledgerwood expects to play in centre midfield alongside Camargo.
“Nik and I get along really well on and off the pitch,” Camargo said.
“He’ll be the bulldog and I’ll bring the flair.”
At 33, Ledgerwood is the most experience player signed to the league so far.
But he’s not going to let age stop him from dreaming big – chief among them, a return to John Herdman’s Canadian national team squad.
“I’m still very young at heart,” Ledgerwood offered. “Age is thrown around a bit too much in soccer. Nowadays, in modern soccer, with all the technology in recovery and training, you’re seeing players dominate well into their thirties.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, Wayne Rooney, we’ve seen them make amazing contributions at those ages.
“So, I’m going to keep playing for as long as I can. The ultimate goal is to return to the national team. I’ve been away for a year now and I still have things to prove to get back.”