Columbus Crew SC defender Waylon Francis has earned his fifth cap for Costa Rica's National Team on Tuesday night. Francis and Los Ticos visited Venezuela for an international friendly that ended in a 1-0 loss to the hosts.
In his first match with Costa Rica in 2016, Francis was named to the starting XI and played the full 90 minutes. He has now earned four of his five caps over the past year.
Francis made his international debut in the Group Stage of the 2013 Copa Centroamericana in a 2-0 win against Nicaragua on January 20, 2013. He was named to Costa Rica's final 23-man roster ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but did not make an appearance in any of the Ticos' five matches at the tournament.
The leftback earned his second cap on March 26, 2015 with a start against Paraguay. He was called-up again on August 28, 2015 ahead of friendlies against Brazil and Uruguay. He did not make an appearance in the first match against Brazil, but made a substitute appearance against Uruguay on September 8, helping the Ticos to a 1-0 win. He notched his fourth appearance for Costa Rica with a start in a 1-0 friendly win over Nicaragua on December 15, 2015.
Francis is one of four Crew SC players currently on international duty. Midfielders Ethan Finlay, Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp are currently between friendlies with the U.S. Men's National Team, winning their first match over Iceland 3-2 on Sunday and preparing for Canada on Friday.
Over the past year, 13 Black & Gold players have earned international call-ups to the youth or senior level, under the direction of the Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.
