VANCOUVER, BC – "Sugar." That was the first word Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson says popped into his head when he learned Kendall Waston was being called up by Costa Rica for Gold Cup duty and would miss this Saturday's crucial Cascadia Cup clash at Portland (10:30 pm ET; TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in US).
That was the PG version for the media at training anyway. You can just imagine the real reaction when he heard that if Costa Rica avoided defeat to Canada on Tuesday, then Waston would get the call to replace former MLS defender Michael Umana.
The game ended 0-0, Costa Rica advanced and Waston headed off to join his Ticos teammates.
"As always, I wanted Canada to win and I'd have kept, arguably, one of my best players," Robinson added. "So we were supporting Canada. I had my Canada shirt on but it didn't work."
Waston has been a key defensive cog in the center of the Whitecaps this season. With veteran
Pa Modou Kah
sidelined through injury and
Diego Rodriguez
trying to get back to match sharpness after his own injury, Vancouver's center back depth with be tested to the full in Portland.
The inexperienced pairing of
Tim Parker
and
Christian Dean
look set to get the nod. The pair of 22-year-olds have just nine MLS appearances between them. Not ideal for the red-hot atmosphere of a Cascadian derby, so will they be ready to handle that pressure?
"They have to be," Robinson said. "We're in professional sports now and they will be. They'll be ready. They'll be organized, we'll be organized, we'll be disciplined. But whoever performs on the day will win the game. Whether you're a young player or an old player, it's about performance and it's about 11 players."
Vancouver may be missing an actual veteran presence in the middle of their defence but in Parker the Whitecaps have a player who Robinson describes as "an old head on young shoulders."
The rookie started three of the last four games for the 'Caps and his performances have impressed.
"His mentality is absolutely fantastic for a young player," Robinson said. "He's been excellent. He's been calm, he's cool and he plays like an experienced veteran. He's played a couple of games and I think he's shown how good he can be. He's very mature for someone so young, but I still expect him to get better."
Comfortable on the ball, Parker's distribution is excellent and as he showed against Sporting KC last weekend, where he had two headers cleared off the line, he can be a commanding aerial presence in both boxes.
Dean may be in his second season in Vancouver, but he's using Parker's performances as inspiration for his own first appearance of the year.
- Check out more Vancouver news at WhitecapsFC.com
"I've watched Tim get a couple of starts and he's been great," Dean told reporters. "I'm just going to try and play with the same intensity and the same way that's he's played."
The pair are best friends off the pitch and have played a number of games together for the 'Caps USL team. The hope is that the excellent understanding they have shown there can be carried forward into MLS. As for any nerves in playing in such an electric environment, Dean is unconcerned.
"If you're not nervous, it's not important to you," Dean said. "It should be a good partnership. I think we'd be the youngest center back pairing in the league, so it should be exciting for us.
"We lack experience, but I think we make up for it in athletic ability. Tim's showed that he can play and I believe I can play as well."
