VANCOUVER, BC – Losing an international knockout round match in a penalty shootout is one of the toughest ways to bow out of a soccer competition. Being deprived of the opportunity to even get to that stage due a controversial penalty kick awarded three minutes into stoppage time of the second period of extra time is even harder to take.
That was the fate that befell Kendall Waston and Costa Rica last Sunday in Gold Cup action against Mexico, with the Vancouver Whitecaps defender forced to sit on the bench and watch El Tri knockoff the Ticos 1-0 after Andres Guardado converted his spot kick in the 124th minute.
For Waston, it was his first involvement with Costa Rica at a major international tournament. That's usually an experience players look back on fondly, and he still might in years to come, but for now, the heartbreaking ending to the Ticos’ run unfortunately casts a dark cloud.
"It wasn't the best experience because of the way that we went out," Waston told MLSsoccer.com. "It wasn't a nice way. But this is part of football and we just have to accept it. Now we can only look forward to the qualifiers for the next World Cup."
Having just missed out on the initial Gold Cup roster, Waston was a late call to the Costa Rican team for the knockout stage, flying from Vancouver to New York at short notice to replace former MLS defender Michael Umaña in the squad. As much of an honor as it was to be called to represent his country, having made the coast-to-coast journey to MetLife Stadium only to sit on the bench for 120-plus minutes compounded a disappointing evening for Waston.
"I know sometimes it happens," Waston admitted. "We were thinking that maybe we could get to the semifinals. So that was a little bit disappointing [not to play], but we still have more games soon, so now that is what I'm thinking, of the games after."
It was a heartbreaking way to crash out of the tournament, but as Waston said, Costa Rica can only look forward. What that means next for the Ticos is the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers for Russia 2018.
Costa Rica are seeded first in the region for the qualifying campaign, ensuring a bye until the fourth round of games get underway in November. Having been on the fringes of the Costa Rican Gold Cup squad from the start, has coach Paulo Wanchope given Waston any indication as to whether he may earn his third cap for his country in those qualifiers?
"Everyone is in his plans," Waston said. "I just have to keep playing well at club level. If I play well, then I will be in his plans."
Waston shouldn't have too many worries in that regard. The 27-year-old has been a key cog in Vancouver’s backline since joining the Whitecaps last August, regularly leading the league in several defensive stats categories. A beast at the back and a towering presence in both boxes, the 6-foot-5 Waston has already put his stamp on MLS in his 29 regular season appearances, and his first year in the league has lived up to all of his expectations.
"I'm very happy here," Waston said. "The league and competition is very hard. It's a nice league to play in and as a professional I'm growing every time I play here. So now I hope to be a long time in the league."
Having previously played his club soccer in Costa Rica, Uruguay and Puerto Rico before coming to Vancouver, Waston admits that there was a distinct jump in quality moving to MLS, but it's one which he feels is a continuing learning environment for him to hone his game.
"The coaches here have been teaching me a lot of things," Waston added. "That's tactically and some other things that I still have to improve. I think I've grown a little bit from before I came here and I feel I can grow a little bit more every day."
Waston's growth has coincided with the Whitecaps’ emergence as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, with the big center back set to return to the Vancouver lineup for Sunday’s game against the San Jose Earthquakes (7 pm ET; TSN2 in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US). Getting Waston back will be a welcome site for Vancouver, who haven’t won in three matches and need a victory on Sunday to stay within touching distance of Supporters’ Shield leaders FC Dallas.
"Our chances depend on ourselves," Waston said. "During all of the season, we've been playing good. We have a lot of points, we've been in first place, but we know all the teams are very close.
"We have to win our games at home, then when we go away we can look to win and get more points faster. That'll really help us for the end of the season."
