Whitecaps short on defence for match against Houston

VANCOUVER — Carl Robinson says he will never stop a player from suiting up for his country.

That doesn’t mean international call ups aren’t a huge early nuisance for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ head coach.

Three games into the Major League Soccer season, Robinson has four key members of his squad missing with Vancouver set to host the Houston Dynamo today.

“It’s a special moment to play for your country,” said Robinson. “It does get taken away from you at some stage when you get older.”

The heart of the Whitecaps’ defence is hardest hit with Kendall Waston away with Costa Rica for World Cup qualifying, while fellow starting centre back Tim Parker has been named to the U.S. under-23 squad for a twogame playoff against Colombia with an Olympic spot up for grabs.

Their absence could mean the first action of the season for PaModou Kah, with the other spot possibly falling to Andrew Jacobson, a veteran midfielder acquired from New York City FC in a trade this month who can also play in defence.

Christian Dean would have been in contention if not for a broken foot, while first-round pick Cole Seiler is the only other centre back on the roster.

“We claim to have good depth in this team and we’ll be able to show it now,” said Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted. “I have no problem with the guys coming in.”

Vancouver will also be without midfielder Christian Bolanos (Costa Rica) and striker Blas Perez (Panama), meaning there will be opportunities all over the pitch.

Vancouver (1-2-0) picked up its first win of the season last weekend with a 2-1 road victory over the Seattle Sounders. Houston is 1-1-1.