FC Cincinnati has acquired defender Kendall Waston from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for up to $825,000 in allocation money plus an international roster spot for 2019, the clubs announced on Tuesday.
The allocation money breakdown sees Vancouver receive $450,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), $300,000 of Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), and an additional $75,000 in GAM if Waston reaches certain performance-based incentives. The combined total of allocation money that changed hands is an MLS record for a defender. In the event that Waston is traded or transferred in the future, Vancouver will retain a percentage of any transfer fee.
"Kendall has been one of the best players in MLS since he arrived in this league," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Alan Koch said. "He will be a cornerstone of our club and we couldn't be happier to have him join our group for our first MLS season."
The transaction marked the third trade of the day for FCC, who earlier acquired defender Greg Garza from Atlanta United in exchange for a combined total of $450,000 in allocation funds. It also acquired a 2019 international roster spot from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for forward Kei Kamara, who was taken in the expansion draft earlier in the day.
Waston, 30, had made his desire to leave Vancouver apparent just before the end of the season, and with the Whitecaps attempting to retool under new manager Marc Dos Santos, they have agreed to the Costa Rican international's request.
"We evaluated his desire for a new challenge and what we want from our team moving forward," said Dos Santos. "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."
Waston spent parts of the last five seasons with the Whitecaps, making 137 league and cup appearances while scoring 15 goals. During that time Waston was an MLS Best XI selection in both 2015 and 2017, and was also named to the MLS All-Star team in 2016.
Prior to joining Vancouver, Waston was on the books of Costa Rican side Saprissa, though he spent the bulk of his time their on loan with clubs in his native country, including Carmelita, Perez Zeledon, and UCR. He was also loaned out to Uruguayan side Nacional as well as Puerto Rico-based club Bayamon.
At international level, Waston has made 31 appearances for Costa Rica, scoring seven goals. He was part of the squad that took part in the 2018 World Cup, scoring in a 2-2 draw with Switzerland.