Kendall Waston was born and raised in Costa Rica, playing at Saprissa from 2006-2014, with various loans in between. The defender has 74 caps for Costa Rica's National Team. During the summer transfer window of 2014, the Vancouver Whitecaps acquired the center back to help bolster their back line. After substituting into his debut for 11 minutes, he played every single minute the rest of the way. In his fourth match with the club, he made a powerful run into the box to score a header against San Jose. On Decision Day, he headed home the lone goal of the match to defeat Colorado 1-0. The goal narrowly secured Vancouver's playoff spot, but they went out in the knockout round against Dallas anyway.
In 2015, Waston helped Vancouver's backline to 11 clean sheets, by far a career-high. He scored his first goal of the season at BC Place, once again rising high on a corner kick. All the while, the Whitecaps were advancing in the Canadian Championship. They drew Montreal in the first leg of the final, before winning 2-0 in the home leg and taking the trophy. For the second straight season, Waston scored on Decision Day, his fourth goal, and fourth headed goal. The Whitecaps finished in second place in the Western Conference. They disappointed in the postseason once again, failing to score a single goal in a 2-0 aggregate loss to Portland. Waston was named to the 2015 MLS Best XI for his defensive performance.
In 2016, Kendall Waston's side did not have the same success. He had another solid individual year, helping to keep 6 clean sheets, scoring 3 goals, and assisting 1. Despite losing to Montreal in the opening match of the campaign, Waston scored one of his signature high-flying headers at the death. In this edition of the Canadian Championship, Vancouver made it back to the final, but Toronto FC edged it out in the end. On July 9th, Waston scored within the opening 10 minutes of the match, yet another header of course. He was then selected to the 2016 MLS All-Star Team. He played one half in the 2-1 loss to Arsenal. He added one more goal against Colorado on another corner in which he was tightly marked. Vancouver did not qualify for the playoffs.
In 2017, though, Vancouver got back into good form. The Whitecaps finished in third place and Kendall Waston was named to his second MLS Best XI in three years. He kept 5 clean sheets, while scoring a career-high of 4 goals, adding an assist as well. On June 3rd, he scored a brace against Atlanta United, including his first non-headed goal since joining the team. The second of the pair was indeed another header off a corner. In September, he smashed home a left footed rebound into the waiting net. His last goal of the season somehow came on Decision Day yet again, heading home a Yordy Reyna set piece. In the knockout round of the playoffs, Vancouver came up against San Jose, a match in which Waston got in on the scoring, tapping a ball in on the goal line. The Whitecaps went out scoreless in the next series against Seattle.
In 2018, Kendall Waston finished up his time in Vancouver. It was another middling season for a team that has teetered back and forth between solid and mediocre over the years. They finished in eighth place, with Waston's defense keeping just a single clean sheet. He did, though add three more goals to his growing total. In May, he rose above everyone else to score an equalizer 30 seconds after the allotted added time. His other two goals both came in an August 18th match against the Red Bulls. His first was a header off a corner, the second was a header off a corner. To call the guy an aerial threat is a severe understatement.
On December 11, 2018, Kendall Waston was traded to expansion side FC Cincinnati in exchange for a hefty price tag of $750K in allocation money. He was immediately named the team's captain. He scored his first and only goal for FCC in their inaugural home match, guiding another header to the opposite post. Cincy of course won just six games in their first season in MLS, winning the feared Wooden Spoon. In 2020, they did it again, downgrading to four wins and snatching a second straight Spoon. At least in 2020, Waston helped the team to 6 clean sheets, compared to the 2 of the previous season.
After the 2020 campaign, Kendall Waston rejoined his former club in Costa Rica, Saprissa. His time in MLS lasted seven years. Cincy declined his contract option for the 2021 season, allowing him to return home. His time in Major League Soccer was truly impressive, scoring not only a boatload of headers, but making two Best XI squads, and performing well defensively all the while. Waston is still a regular starter and contributor to the Costa Rica squad, now at 35 years of age. Kendall Waston comes in at #59.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS | CS |
2020 | FCC | 1,528 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
2019 | FCC | 2,175 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
2018 | VAN | 2,218 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
2017 | VAN | 2,250 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
2016 | VAN | 2,266 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
2015 | VAN | 2,486 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
2014 | VAN | 821 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
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