Waylon Dwayne Francis Box (; born 20 September 1990) is a Costa Rican professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for Costa Rican club C. S. Herediano and the Costa Rica national team.

Career

Club career

Waylon Francis began his career in the youth system of

Deportivo Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...

. He made his First Division debut with Brujas on January 13, 2011 in a match against Barrio México. After a brief stay with Brujas he joined

Limón Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is ho ...

, remaining only for one season with the Caribbean club. In 2012, he joined

Herediano Club Sport Herediano (), commonly known as Herediano and nicknamed El Team, is a Costa Rican multisport club based in Heredia, Heredia province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Herediano is mostly known for its association ...

. He scored the first goal of his career playing for Herediano at

Estadio Rommel Fernández The Estadio Olímpico Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez, named after the Panamanian football star Rommel Fernández (1966–1993), is a multi-purpose stadium in Panama City. It is used for different sports, but mainly football (soccer) games. It was ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

against Tauro FC in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League. He was a high-profile subject of racist slants in a game against Cartaginés, prompting the referee to stop the game. His play with Herediano in the Champions League drew the attention of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

club

Columbus Crew SC The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an Soccer in the United States, American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference ( ...

who made him the club's first signing for the 2014 season. Francis made his MLS and club debut on March 8, 2014 in a 3–0 victory over

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

. In 2015, Francis was selected along with two other teammates, to participate in the

MLS All-Star Game The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a traditional all-star ga ...

versus

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

of the

English Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

. He missed the end of the 2016 season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in early October. On December 1, 2017, Crew SC declined Francis' contract option, ending his four-year tenure with the club. On 14 December 2017, Francis was traded to

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

for $50,000 of General Allocation Money. On 5 February 2019, Francis was traded to Columbus Crew SC for $50,000 of General Allocation Money. Columbus declined their contract option on Francis following their 2020 season. He re-signed with the club on 6 January 2021. Following the 2021 season, Columbus opted to decline their contract option on Francis. on 3 February 2022, it was announced that Francis had signed a 3 year deal with Herediano to return to his native Costa Rica.

International career

Waylon Francis was part of Costa Rica's Under-23 side. Francis was a part of the team that won the 2013 Copa Centroamericana, in which he made his debut against

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. Francis was also a part of the team that reached the quarterfinals at the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

. Although he did not play, he is famously known for yelling "¡Llore conmigo, papi!" ("Cry with me, daddy!") during an effusive celebration with a sobbing

José Miguel Cubero José Miguel Cubero Loría (born 14 February 1987) is a Costa Rican footballer who plays for Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and for the Costa Rica national football team as a holding midfielder. Club career Cubero was born in Sarchí. He made hi ...

after qualifying to the quarterfinals.

Career statistics

International

Honours

Herediano *

Liga FPD The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Fútbol de Primera División (FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Unión de Clubes ...

: Clausura 2012, Clausura 2013 Columbus Crew *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

* Campeones Cup:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Costa Rica *

Copa Centroamericana The Copa Centroamericana (, Spanish for "Central American Cup") was the main association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ''Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol'' (UNCAF), the sport's Central Am ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Personal life

Francis was married to Stephanie Gonzales Dávila, but they were divorced in 2016. Francis earned his U.S. green card in June 2016. This status also qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Waylon 1990 births Living people People from Limón Province Association football defenders Costa Rican footballers Costa Rica international footballers 2013 Copa Centroamericana players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Brujas FC players C.S. Herediano footballers Columbus Crew players Seattle Sounders FC players Tacoma Defiance players Costa Rican expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars USL Championship players Copa Centroamericana-winning players