Kendall Waston Named to Costa Rica Gold Cup Roster

Talk about a double whammy for Whitecaps fans; After seeing Canada bounced from the Gold Cup after a scoreless draw with Costa Rica on Tuesday night, the Whitecaps learned they'll be without their best Center Back for the next little while.

Kendall Waston has been called up to the Costa Rica Gold Cup squad to help their efforts in the Quarter-Final match on Sunday, which means he'll miss the Whitecaps match against the Portland Timbers. According to WhitecapsFC.com, should Costa Rica move on, Waston could also be unavailable for the July 26th match against the San Jose Earthquake.

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.

It's a tough blow for the Whitecaps, who are suddenly, dangerously thin at the Center Back position. If Pa Modou Kah is healthy, he'll no doubt get a crack against his former squad. Tim Parker has looked good recently and could nab the spot in the starting 11, while Christian Dean and Diego Rodriguez make up the other options Carl Robinson has Truthfully, all of those players carry question marks.

Waston is the 'Caps best player on the backline, and his leadership, energy and stellar play is going to be missed on the weekend. It provides a chance for other players on the roster to show what they have, but given how inconsistent the 'Caps backline has been this season, I'd say that's not exactly wonderful news.