VANCOUVER, B.C. – Kendall Waston may only be nine matches into his Major League Soccer career, but Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender has already impressed with a string of commanding performances.
After joining Vancouver in August from Costa Rican Primera Division side Deportivo Saprissa, the central defender has made a quick adjustment to playing in MLS and has settled in well to what he sees as an increased challenge in the level of play.
"Here is better, much better, because you have more intensity. [It's] more aggressive," Waston told reporters about how he has found the league so far. "Obviously you have players from around the world that want to play in MLS because of the environment and everything is getting better every day. Everything here is better than back home, so I just want to enjoy it day by day because I want [to succeed]. My team has helped me a lot, because before I began to play, they talked to me about how the players play, and I saw a lot of videos."
Having already picked up five yellow cards in those nine MLS matches, Waston sat out Vancouver’s 0-0 draw with San Jose on the weekend due to suspension. Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson has already said that he does not plan to rein in Waston’s aggression on the pitch, and the Costa Rican feels the league is ideally suited to his style of play and will help his own game grow.
"My game is aggressive always in tackles and things like that," Waston said. "Every day is about playing harder and every player is getting better, so I try to do my best because I want to get to a better level of everything."
After establishing himself as a starter alongside Andy O'Brien, Waston found it difficult watching from the sidelines against San Jose. Vancouver certainly missed his aerial presence in both boxes, and the defender was not alone in wondering what difference he could have made.
"[It was] very hard," Waston said of watching and not playing at the weekend. "You feel that you cannot do anything. Watch and praying that everything is going good. Sometimes you're thinking if you were there, sometimes you could help the team. But I trust all the guys because they work very hard during the week to play very well, and now this Saturday we know that we have this great opportunity, and we're just thinking positive."
Waston was given some time off from training last week to fly to Costa Rica to bring his wife and child to Canada. With his family reunited, the defender feels contented and believes he can make even more of an impact for the 'Caps on the pitch.
"Now I think I'm enjoying it more because they are here with me," Waston said of his family's arrival. "Before, I just sent them pictures and [was] talking all about Vancouver, and now they are enjoying it with me. So now I'm feeling better than before, and hopefully I can transfer that to the field."
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