Sahil Sandhu, Vancouver Whitecaps farm team player, charged with sexual assault

A Vancouver Whitecaps farm team player has been suspended after being charged with sexual assault.

24-year-old Sahil Sandhu has been charged in connection with an alleged incident said to have occurred Dec. 3 in Vancouver.

He is next scheduled to appear at a Vancouver court on Dec.15.

"Sahil Sandhu has been suspended indefinitely pending resolution of his case before the court," Whitecaps FC soccer club said in a statement.

"As it is a legal matter with the court, the club will not be providing any further comment."

The nature of the alleged assault or circumstances surrounding it are not known.

Vancouver Police spokesman Randy Fincham was unavailable for comment Saturday.

Sandhu, a midfielder from Surrey, B.C., played on the Whitecaps farm team in the United Soccer League in its inaugural season last spring.

He was a part of the Whitecaps youth development program and represented Canada at the U-15 and U-17 levels, according to the team's web site.

He spent the 2009 season on loan from the Whitecaps to a German soccer club before being recalled to the Vancouver team in 2010.

Sandhu also played in 2013 for Douglas College and the Victoria Highlanders, where he helped Victoria win the West Conference.