VANCOUVER, BC ā Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Friday that centre back Kendall Waston and midfielder Christian BolaƱos have been called up to the Costa Rican national team for the fifth and final round of qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, also called The Hex.
Waston and BolaƱos depart for 10 days to join the Ticos on Sunday, March 19. The pair will not be missing any Whitecaps FC matches while away on international duty, and are scheduled to be back with the team in time for their home match against LA Galaxy on Sunday, April 1.
Costa Rica, who sit atop the table with six points after two matches, visit Mexico in Mexico City on Friday, March 24, then Honduras in San Pedro Sula four days later.
Waston and BolaƱos each figured prominently in Costa Rica's two wins in The Hex last November, playing the full 90 minutes in both matches. BolaƱos tallied a goal and an assist in each outing, while Waston manned the backline in the two clean sheets - a 2-0 road win over Trinidad and Tobago, then a 4-0 home victory against the United States.
Waston now has 15 appearances and one goal in senior international competition, while BolaƱos has six goals in 70 caps for Costa Rica.
The six teams in The Hex play home-and-away round-robin matches in one single group. The top three teams will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fourth-placed team will advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
