VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Vancouver Whitecaps have been dominant on set piece plays this season, scoring 16 of their 50 regular season goals either directly or indirectly from restarts, and adding three more in their 5-0 Knockout Round rout of San Jose on Wednesday.
A big reason behind that set piece strength? Captain Kendall Waston.
Even when the Costa Rican isn't putting the ball in the net himself, his mere presence in the opposition penalty area attracts attention from defenders, freeing up others to do the damage. It's a deadly asset to have, especially during the 2017 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, when one set piece goal can make all the difference.
"When I get in the box attacking, I just think this is going to be my only chance and I have to take it," Waston told MLSsoccer.com. "I'm not thinking that maybe I'll have two or three chances. I'm just putting in my mind that I have to do everything possible to help my teammates somehow. Obviously defending too, but when I have to attack at set pieces, it's very huge for us."
Waston grabbed his fifth goal in all competions in 2017 on Wednesday, a tap in from a yard out off the secondary phase of a set piece. With goals now in back to back Vancouver matches as well as a recent stunner to seal Costa Rica's place at next year's World Cup in Russia, Waston is in some of his most lethal form.
And while Waston and the Whitecaps' set piece threat is well known, how to stop it can be a mystery.
"Other teams are really good at set pieces as well, but we have to come up with ideas with how to stop them, and we do," 'Caps coach Carl Robinson said Saturday. "How do you stop us? Well we have technicians who put balls on sixpences right in the areas that's difficult to defend and we've got guys who want to get on the end of the cross.
"I don't think there's anyone in this league who can stop Kendall Waston. I really don't, if he attacks the ball with power and pace, like he always does. It's an art. An art about crossing the ball, an art about taking a penalty, an art about defending. Set pieces are an art."
One man that will be tasked with trying to stop Waston and the rest of the Whitecaps in Sunday's Western Conference semi-final first leg (8.30pm ET | ESPN, TSN 1/4, TVAS 2) will be Seattle Sounders' center back Roman Torres.
Waston knows the Panamanian well from their recent World Cup qualifying tussles, and the 'Caps captain is expecting more of the same on Sunday.
"It'll be the same battles," Waston told MLSsoccer.com. "Nothing's going to change very much. It's going to be who has the more willingness to score. When I go forward, I just do everything that is possible to score and when I have to defend, I will defend for my life."
Like Waston, Torres wrote himself into his country's footballing folklore, scoring the winner as Panama booked their own spot in Russia with a dramatic 2-1 win over Costa Rica earlier this month.
The duo's duel both boxes will certainly be intriguing Sunday.
"It's fitting that both of them do it, both of them send their countries through," Robinson said. "Both in the last minutes. Both are national heroes. It's should be a great battle, but there's battles all over the field. There's going to be a lot of individual battles going on."
