Waylon Francis

Waylon Dwayne Francis Box (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwajloɱ ˈfɾansis]; born 20 September 1990) is a Costa Rican footballer who plays as a left-back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Francis and the second or maternal family name is Box.
Waylon Francis
Personal information
Full name Waylon Dwayne Francis Box
Date of birth (1990-09-20) September 20, 1990
Place of birth Limón, Costa Rica
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Left back
Club information
Current team
 Columbus Crew
Number 14
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Brujas 9 (0)
2011 Limón 18 (0)
2012–2013 Herediano 68 (1)
2014–2017 Columbus Crew SC 83 (0)
2018 Seattle Sounders FC 11 (0)
2018 Seattle Sounders FC 2 1 (0)
2019– Columbus Crew 21 (0)
National team‡
2013– Costa Rica 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 November 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 March 2019

Career

Club career

Waylon Francis began his career in the youth system of Deportivo Saprissa. 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, remaining only for one season with the Caribbean club. In 2012, he joined Herediano. He scored the first goal of his career playing for Herediano at Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama 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.[1]

His play with Herediano in the Champions League drew the attention of Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew SC who made him the club's first signing for the 2014 season.[2] Francis made his MLS and club debut on March 8, 2014 in a 3–0 victory over D.C. United.[3] In 2015, Francis was selected along with two other teammates, to participate in the MLS All-Star Game versus Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League.[4] He missed the end of the 2016 season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in early October.[5] On December 1, 2017, Crew SC declined Francis' contract option, ending his four-year tenure with the club.[6]

On 14 December 2017, Francis was traded to Seattle Sounders FC for $50,000 of General Allocation Money.[7]

On 5 February 2019, Francis was traded to Columbus Crew SC for $50,000 of General Allocation Money.[8]

Columbus declined their contract option on Francis following their 2020 season.[9] He re-signed with the club on 6 January 2021.[10]

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.[11]

Francis was also a part of the team that reached the quarterfinals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[12] 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 after qualifying to the quarterfinals.[13]

Personal life

Francis was married to Stephanie Gonzales Dávila, but they were divorced in 2016.[14][15]

Francis earned his U.S. green card in June 2016.[16] This status also qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

References
  1. Waylon Francis: "Los insultos racistas siempre se dan en Cartago" – Al Día (in Spanish)
  2. "Crew re-signs Josh Williams; adds Waylon Francis and Homegrown Player Matt Wiet". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  3. "Waylon Francis (2014)". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. "Crew SC's Ethan Finlay, Waylon Francis Named to MLS All-Star Game Roster". lastwordonsports.com. Last Word On Sports. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. "Francis undergoes successful shoulder surgery". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. "Options exercised on 9 players ahead of 2018 season". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  7. "Sounders FC acquires Waylon Francis from Columbus Crew SC". soundersfc.com. Seattle Sounders FC. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  8. "Sounders FC acquires $50,000 in General Allocation Money from Columbus Crew SC in exchange for defender Waylon Francis". soundersfc.com. Seattle Sounders FC. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  9. https://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2020/12/14/release-core-2020-mls-cup-winning-columbus-crew-sc-roster-return-2021
  10. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2021/01/06/waylon-francis-re-signs-columbus-crew-sc-adds-left-back-depth
  11. "Johan Venegas vs. Waylon Francis, duelo de ticos en Montreal Impact vs. Columbus Crew". Univision (in Spanish). 5 November 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  12. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil - Waylon Francis - Player Profile". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
  13. Erickson, Andrew (1 June 2017). "Crew Cuts: Francis' famous World Cup line parodied in Costa Rican commercial". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  14. "Waylon Francis - Columbus Crew SC". columbuscrewsc.com. Columbus Crew SC. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  15. "Waylon D Francis vs Stephanie P Gonzalez Davila Court Case Record". courtfiles.org. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  16. Andrew Erickson (27 January 2017). "Crew Cuts: Mohammed Abu adapts to new team". dispatch.com. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
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