Whitecaps ship disgruntled captain Waston to FC Cincinnati

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps have traded former captain Kendall Waston to FC Cincinnati in exchange for $450,000 US of general allocation money, $300,000 US of targeted allocation money, a 2019 international roster spot and future considerations.

According to the Whitecaps, the trade sets a Major League Soccer record for allocation money in return for a defender in a single-player transaction.

The 30-year-old centreback scored 15 goals and six assists in 136 starts and 137 appearances across all competitions for the Whitecaps after arriving in Vancouver via transfer from Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa in August 2014.

Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Waston was named the Whitecaps’s third captain in the MLS era and 22nd all-time. But his future in Vancouver was all but over when he said he wanted to leave the club after a tumultuous end of the season for the Whitecaps that saw them fire head coach Carl Robinson and finish out of the MLS playoffs.

Waston has made 29 international appearances for Costa Rica, scoring seven goals.

“First and foremost, we are thankful to Kendall for his four and a half seasons at the club. Kendall has been an important part of this team,” incoming Whitecaps head coach Marc Dos Santos said in a statement. “However, we evaluated his desire for a new challenge and what we want from our team moving forward. There was a lot of interest in Kendall from around the league and this move puts the club in a good position as we continue to build the roster for the coming season and beyond.”