VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed today that defender Kendall Waston has been called up to the Costa Rican national team for the ongoing 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Head coach Paulo Wanchope's squad advanced to the quarter-final after playing to a scoreless draw with Canada on Tuesday in Toronto. La Sele finished second in Group B and will face either Mexico or Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

On the international stage, the towering Whitecaps FC centre back has picked up two caps for the senior Costa Rican side, playing in a 1-0 win over Canada in a friendly on May 28, 2013, as well as a CONCACAF 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, a 1-0 win over Honduras on June 7, 2013.

Waston, 27, was also named to Central American outfit’s provisional roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Limon native was featured for Costa Rica at the youth level, starring at both the 2005 U-17 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 U-20 FIFA World Cup.

This MLS season, Waston has started in all of his 19 appearances for Whitecaps FC. He currently leads MLS with 88 aerials won and 145 clearances and is third in the league with 72 interceptions.

Waston will miss the road game at Portland Timbers this Saturday. Depending on how far Costa Rica advance, he could also be unavailable for the July 26 home matchup against San Jose Earthquakes.

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