Roberts vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps front line promises to be one of the more fascinating storylines that will develop out of Wednesday night’s first leg of the Voyageurs' Cup semifinal at Commonwealth.

The NASL said a bid to get Calgary into the league is, right now, “no further along” than it was when Peterson visited Edmonton last month.

But, in MLS, by the middle of the first round, you are already dealing with crapshoots. A good No. 7 pick is a great value.

The Whitecaps lost in Dallas Saturday night, but the team did get some news from another part of the United States.

FC Edmonton has a new coach and an almost entirely new starting XI. But Saturday’s 2-0 loss on the Metrodome turf to Minnesota United FC felt a lot like the 2012 season.

When players I’ve covered over the years earn major awards, I don’t think about the stats they’ve accumulated over the courses of their careers. I think about the moments I remember the most vividly, the marks that these athletes made on my brain.

In fact, Bologna didn’t use the term “loan,” but “transfer on a provisional basis.” So, for De Santis and co., it’s a case of try before you buy.

Hlavaty will be in the state of Minnesota, playing for the first time against his old team. But it won’t be all familiar — since Hlavaty left the Minnesota Stars and signed with FC Edmonton as a free agent late in 2012, his old team changed its name to Minnesota United FC and went to a sky-blue home kit.

Canada took the lead before the five-minute mark, but couldn’t hang on in hostile territory.

Certainly, the early start didn’t help MLS. Bitter cold affected games in the north, from New York to Chicago. Snow postponed a match in Colorado.