CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati have signed center back and captain Kendall Waston to a contract extension. The two-time MLS Best XI selection (2015, 2017) joined the Orange and Blue prior to the start of the 2019 MLS season and has been a fixture on FC Cincinnati’s backline. The Costa Rican was named the club’s first-ever MLS captain in February.

“We are pleased that Kendall will remain an FC Cincinnati player for the foreseeable future,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Gerard Nijkamp said. “He is a true professional who leads by example on and off the pitch and is committed to what we are building at FC Cincinnati.”

“I’m really excited to sign a contract extension with FC Cincinnati,” Waston said. “From December, I was really looking forward to joining the club and I’m looking forward to staying here. I’m really happy.”

Waston has made 13 appearances, all starts, and has scored one goal during the course of the 2019 MLS season. The captain made history when he became the first player to score an MLS goal in Cincinnati when the Orange and Blue defeated the Portland Timbers, 3-0, at Nippert Stadium on March 17.

Prior to joining FC Cincinnati, Waston played for Vancouver Whitecaps FC for five seasons (2014-18), where he made 115 regular-season 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 campaigns.

Since making his international debut in 2013, Waston has 36 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. Most recently, Waston made three appearances for Costa Rica at the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.

FC Cincinnati next travel to face the Chicago Fire on Saturday, July 13. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on WSTR 64, carried on the radio on WDJO (99.5 FM, 107.9 FM and 1480 AM), streamed regionally on FloFC, out of market on ESPN+, while an audio stream will be available at TuneIn (WDJO) and fccincinnati.com.

After Saturday’s game, FCC will host a “White Out” game against D.C. United in nationally televised contest at Nippert Stadium at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 18. All tickets for the game are on sale at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK). Pick Six mini plans, individual-game tickets and group options are on sale for all remaining games.

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.