VANCOUVER, BC – After making his Vancouver Whitecaps FC debut in last weekend's 2-0 loss against LA Galaxy, Kendall Waston could make his first start for his new club in Saturday’s important Cascadia Cup clash at home to Portland Timbers (7:30 p.m. PT, TSN1).
Waston came on for the final 11 minutes of the match last weekend and played as a striker – something he's done before in Costa Rica. But with Johnny Leveron’s suspension following a late red card in the LA game, the Costa Rican international could be back in the more familiar surroundings of the backline against Portland.
"I think he is ready if we give him the shout," Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said of Waston. "He's ready and able. The first day he came here he wanted to be ready to play. He came on for minutes on the weekend and did very well. Johnny getting suspended obviously opens something up for Kendall or Carlyle [Mitchell]."
While goalkeeper David Ousted knows the loss of the in-form Honduran will be a blow to the backline, he has no doubt that having the 6-foot-5 Waston in front of him will add to the team’s strengths.
"It's always a loss to lose players to red cards, especially one that I don't think was valid," Ousted told reporters. "That said, we have players that need to step up. We have players that need to come into the squad now and step up their game and show that they deserve to be in there."
"You look at Kendall and the way he's playing, he's a strong guy. He's good on one on ones. It's up to the guys that are in there, me, the guys around Kendall to communicate with him and to back him up."
Ousted will have a key part to play in the communication, as will Waston’s likely centre back partner Andy O’Brien. The pair have already shown a good understanding at training and Waston feels that will only get stronger.
"Andy is an awesome guy," Waston said of the veteran O’Brien. "I feel comfortable with anyone because everyone works hard during the week and we know what we have to do in the game and the coaches everyday explain to us the positions that they want in the game."
"The communication every day is going to be better because I have to learn some new words because Spanish and English are different. The most important thing is the attitude we have on the pitch."
Waston may have only been with the 'Caps for a couple of weeks but he is already aware of the Cascadian rivalries and the importance of Saturday’s game in relation to the battle for the playoff places in the West.
"I was talking with my teammates about that," Waston said. "It's like a final. I know the last time we played against Portland in their house we won, so now they want to win here, but we are training very hard because we want to win and stay in the playoff stance."
It’s not too late to participate in the best sporting experience in Vancouver. Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including prorated season tickets, 5-packs, student season tickets, and a youth soccer half-season ticket. Single-match tickets start at $22, subject to applicable fees. For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
