CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati center back Kendall Waston has been named club captain for the 2019 season, head coach Alan Koch announced today. Waston joined Cincinnati in the offseason with a wealth of experience in Major League Soccer, in his native Costa Rica and at the international level.
“Kendall is an exemplary leader for our team both on and off the pitch,” Koch said, “When building our roster, we placed a strong emphasis on not only adding quality players, but also somebody who could inspire the players around him. Kendall is someone who is very deserving of the honor of the club’s first-ever MLS captain.”
The 6-foot-5 center back projects to be a key figure along FC Cincinnati’s backline for the 2019 season. In his five seasons in MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2014-18), Waston made 115 appearances, scored 14 goals, added four assists and logged over 10,000 minutes on the pitch. The Limón, Costa Rica, native served as Vancouver’s captain for the 2017 and 2018 MLS seasons.
“It’s a huge honor for me to be the team captain.” Waston said, “It’s a big responsibility. I know everything that surrounds it. We have big expectations, but the good thing here is that everybody is fighting for the same goal. We want to lift up MLS Cup. It’s not going to be easy, but with the work of every individual, everything can be possible.”
A natural leader, Waston has twice been named to the MLS Best XI (2015, 2017) and also earned a spot on the 2016 MLS All-Star roster.
Since making his international debut in 2013, Waston has 30 career caps with the Costa Rica national team. The defender has tallied six goals and added one assist for the Ticos. Waston made his World Cup debut at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and scored Costa Rica’s first goal of the tournament in their group stage match against Switzerland on June 27, 2018.
FC Cincinnati’s debut MLS game will be played this Saturday, March 2, when the team travels to face Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field in a game televised nationally on FS1 and on the radio locally on WDJO (99.5 FM, 107.9 FM and 1480 AM). The Orange and Blue will make their home debut as an MLS team at Nippert Stadium on Sunday, March 17, when the team hosts MLS Cup finalist Portland Timbers at 5 p.m. Season tickets, mini plans and individual-game tickets are on sale at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK).
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati.
