VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Monday that captain Kendall Waston has been named to Costa Rica's 23-man roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia this summer.
Group play commences on June 14, with Costa Rica facing Serbia (June 17), Brazil (June 22), and Switzerland (June 27) in Group E. Prior to the tournament, Costa Rica will face Northern Ireland, England, and Belgium in a series of friendlies on June 3, June 7, and June 11, respectively.
Waston is expected to join the national team following Vancouver's match against New England Revolution on Saturday, May 26 at BC Place (2:30 p.m. PT on TSN/TSN 1040 radio - tickets still available). MLS will go on hiatus from June 14 to 22 for the start of the World Cup.
This will be Waston's first-ever World Cup appearance. In 2014, he was named to Costa Rica's provisional 30-man roster but was one of the team's final two cuts.
Last year, Waston scored an added-time equalizer against Honduras to punch Costa Rica's trip to Russia. The 30-year-old centre back has three goals in 25 appearances with the national team, playing a key role in the Ticos' World Cup qualification.
At the club level, Waston has appeared in 105 MLS matches since joining Whitecaps FC midway through 2014, scoring 13 goals. In 2015 and 2017, he was voted Whitecaps FC BMO Player of the Year, selected to the MLS Best XI, and named a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year.
Wednesday's match against San Jose Earthquakes will be Waston's 100th MLS regular season appearance (7:30 p.m. PT on TSN 1/5 and TSN 1040 radio - tickets still available). Waston had a goal and an assist in Friday's 2-2 draw with Houston Dynamo.
Monday was the deadline for teams to submit their 35-man provisional rosters for the World Cup. However, Costa Rica decided to name a final 23-man squad, which will be the squad heading to Russia barring an injury. Teams are able to replace an injured player up until 24 hours before kickoff of his team's first match.
