While the TFC Academy and Whitecaps Residency players take up 60 per cent of the roster, the player on this squad that has the best chance of breaking into a senior pro squad this season is FC Edmonton Reserves’ Hanson Boakai. Not many training days go by without someone at FCE raving about his potential.

The Whitecaps may have signed a slew of attacking players over the last week, but Darren Mattocks re-established himself as the big man on campus after the team’s first preseason game of 2013.

Kobayashi will now call Vancouver home, as the Whitecaps announced Monday that the 29-year-old had signed, adding yet another attacking player to group of hopefuls that include three young project players the team signed last week.

The dump of an American — the kind of hard-working-but-hard-to-remember player that so many MLS teams have in abundance — is a sign of how the Impact will challenge the league status quo.

“I’ve known Colin so there’s no awkwardness. I’ve talked to him,” said Porter. “I’ve had numerous chats with him and everything seems to be good and right now the focus is just on these upcoming games so right now that’s what I’m focussing on.”

Unfortunately for Argentine defender Martin Bonjour, the final memory most Whitecaps fans will have of him is this: Looking back towards referee Silviu Petrescu, arms raised in innocence, as the official points to the spot.

“From the MLS side of things, I can see why this good for them. Each team can have more players under contract. They can hold on to more players. But, for the players, this limits their free-market options, when they find that they have been relegated to playing for a minor-league team.”

USL President Tim Holt said it was a “seamless transition” to bring the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact back into the USL-Pro fold.

Canadian Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani says the new USL-MLS partnership will not impact the push for an all-Canadian Division 2 or 3.

MLS and USL will hold a joint conference call Thursday to announce more details. But, from the release issued Wednesday: “For 2013, the partnership will include interleague play between USL PRO and MLS Reserve League teams, and the establishment of several exclusive team affiliations.”