By Joseph Lowery
Matchday 26 is in the books.
What did we learn? Did the games confirm what we already knew, or did they change the complexion of the league?
Let's dive into some key takeaways from another weekend of MLS action.
WATCH: Every goal from Matchday 26!
In one corner of this past weekend's marquee matchup, we had Inter Miami , a team sitting second in the Eastern Conference with aspirations to win any and every trophy on offer. In the other corner, we had Nashville SC , a team sitting atop the East and the Supporters' Shield race with the inside track to this year's regular-season crown.
Those two sides battled on Saturday at Nu Stadium in a clash with legitimate implications for the Shield – and the visitors ended the happier of the two thanks to a 2-2 draw .
It was nervy at times for Nashville SC , who took an early lead via star striker Sam Surridge before surrendering that lead in the second half thanks to a go-ahead strike from Lionel Messi . But it was the Englishman who found the equalizer in second-half stoppage time to earn his side a point on the road. In the end, B.J. Callaghan's team truly was the better outfit, showing an impressive blend of comfort on the ball with disciplined deeper defending
Sure, Inter Miami 's lengthy injury report kept them from showing their absolute best. But this year's Nashville team look better equipped to topple their conference rivals than last year's edition, which fell to Miami in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
On the back of a balanced squad and approach (and, in part, thanks to Vancouver Whitecaps FC dropping points out West), Nashville SC have an eight-point lead atop the Shield race. It's hard to picture anybody catching them.
WATCH: Messi, Miami & Surridge, Nashville battle in instant classic!
Rafael Navarro has started two games for St. Louis CITY since arriving from the Colorado Rapids in a record $12 million cash-for-player trade . In those two starts, he has scored four goals.
Is that good?
Taking my tongue out of my cheek, Navarro has been exactly the player Rapids fans feared he would be for their in-conference foes. He's looked like the best No. 9 in MLS since arriving in Yoann Damet's team, pairing elite link-up play deeper in midfield with all of the off-ball running you expect to see from a Golden Boot-contending striker. This, folks, is a striker's goal from St. Louis' 4-2 win over Minnesota United FC on Saturday:
With his clever movement and on-ball ability, Navarro gives Damet more than just a plug-and-play striker. He also provides flexibility. In his first start for his new club, Navarro played as the centermost attacker.
Against the Loons, though, he played alongside Simon Becher and moved into the left halfspace quite a bit to provide attacking balance. Needless to say, he did it well — and yet, Damet still believes there's more for Navarro and fellow new Designated Player Carlo Holse to offer.
"There are still a lot of details and nuances they need to understand that we have been working on for now nine months, and it's work that we are doing daily with those guys," Damet said over the weekend.
If the new stars take on those nuances, the sky might be the limit for St. Louis.
WATCH: Red-hot St. Louis CITY continue to roll
There's little debate to be had on the topic, frankly: Antoine Griezmann is the best signing made by any MLS team this season. The Frenchman continues to prove that fact every time he steps on the field for Orlando City , most recently in the Lions' 3-0 win over Toronto FC on Saturday.
Along the way, Griezmann added his eighth goal of the season — and that goal serves as a microcosm of what he's brought to Orlando since arriving from Atlético Madrid :
The first thing you notice on the goal sequence is Griezmann's impressive playmaking. Even receiving the ball with his back to the goal and with Toronto FC central defender Benjamín Kuscevic breathing down his neck, he manages not only to extend the play but to progress the ball to Marco Pašalić .
From there, it's all grit, off-ball movement, and class in the box from the World Cup winner. Griezmann peels himself up off the deck, spots a pocket of space inside the 18, and doesn't miss.
His overwhelming attacking presence has utterly transformed Orlando City . Outside of Lionel Messi , no player with at least 10 starts this year can match Griezmann's 1.13 non-penalty goal contributions per 90 minutes, as per FBref. He's flying — and so is Orlando City, with 6W-2L-2D since their new star arrived.
Now sitting sixth in the East, would you bet against a playoff run for Orlando?
WATCH: Antoine Griezmann sparks Orlando City in playoff hunt
It was a summer of change for the Colorado Rapids .
On the outgoing front, they saw Navarro head to St. Louis City and rising star center back Lucas Herrington head to the Premier League, among other moves.
On the incoming front, they added new DP winger Morgan Whittaker for a club-record fee from Middlesbrough in the English Championship. On top of that splash, Loïc Williams officially joined to fill Herrington's shoes along with a trio of additional attackers — attacking midfielder Youssef Maziz , striker Sayed Abu Farkhi , and winger Ibrahim Sadiq .
While Williams and Maziz have already enjoyed an extended run under manager Matt Wells and we're still waiting on a debut for Sadiq, Whittaker and Farkhi saw the field in MLS for the first time in Colorado's 1-0 win over CF Montréal on Saturday.
Farkhi, a striker, showed off some promising mobility and clever back-to-goal play. But it was Whittaker who stole the show. The 25-year-old right winger immediately looked the part of a star, using his brilliant left foot to create chances for himself and others.
With a strong frame, good speed, and that incisive left foot, there are some stylistic parallels between Whittaker and LAFC 's Denis Bouanga .
As Whittaker's fitness grows and his role increases in Colorado, don't be surprised to see him start pouring in the goal contributions for a Rapids team that could just make a late-season surge.
Perhaps I'm alone in this, but after watching teenage sensation Cavan Sullivan play, I get the feeling that he's emptied his bag of tricks. How could he have any flicks or pirouettes left in his arsenal that we haven't already seen come to light? As it turns out, I'm dead wrong every time.
The Philadelphia Union 's brightest star always has a spanner to throw into the opposition's works. Don't believe me? Just ask San Diego FC , who fell 5-0 to the Union on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire. Sullivan secured a brace on the day — and had the audacity to open the scoring with this backheeled finish:
Now up to 17 goal contributions in under 1,400 minutes, Sullivan has become the beating heart of Philadelphia's attack.
That his skillset in the final third is so well-rounded makes him an absolute terror to defend. He's just as capable of pulling off a rub-your-eyes sort of finish as he is of clipping an assist into just the right spot in the box as he is dusting a defender to create separation.
Unbeaten in 10 since the World Cup break and with Sullivan playing at a level no teenage attacker in MLS has touched since Alphonso Davies , life is good in Philadelphia.
WATCH: Cavan Sullivan brace powers surging Philadelphia Union
