Matchday 22 is in the books.<\/p>\n
What did we learn? Did the games confirm what we already knew, or did they change the complexion of the league?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dive into some key takeaways from another weekend of MLS action.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the biggest thing that\u2019s made Antoine Griezmann<\/a> stand out throughout his storied career is his versatility.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you need him to be an attacking midfielder, he can be just that. If you need him to be a central midfielder, he can deputize deeper. If you need him in the halfspaces, he\u2019ll be there. If you need a striker, he\u2019ll be there. Whether tasked with goalscoring, chance creation, or ball progression at any of his club stops or for France at the international level, Griezmann has done it with aplomb. The same is already proving true at Orlando City<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though largely used as an attacking midfielder since arriving in MLS, Griezmann was tasked with leading the line for the Lions on Saturday. Then, when Daryl Dike<\/a> entered the match to start the second half, Griezmann moved back into midfield. Then he scored both goals for Orlando in a 2-1 victory<\/a> over an admittedly rotated Real Salt Lake<\/a> team.<\/p>\n The guy seems to be everywhere, all at once. He seems equally capable of having Orlando City\u2019s attack run through him as he does having it run to him. Averaging 0.67 goal contributions per appearance for Orlando, one thing is clear: Griezmann is exactly the player Orlando hoped he would be.<\/p>\n Hours after unveiling Breel Embolo<\/a> as their new Designated Player, Atlanta United<\/a> handled business at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.<\/p>\n They bested Sporting Kansas City<\/a>,\u00a02-1<\/a>, on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, capping a day fans of the Five Stripes hope will be remembered as one that helped change the tide for the club.<\/p>\n Embolo, a 29-year-old Swiss international, arrives<\/a> from Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais for a reported $18 million transfer fee. The striker is Atlanta’s latest significant outlay made in pursuit of trophies \u2013 and his profile could be just what they need to help supercharge the attack. While the recently loaned<\/a> Emmanuel Latte Lath\u2019s dependence on service hindered production at the top of Atlanta\u2019s attack, Embolo will bring more to the No. 9 spot.<\/p>\n His mixture of goal threat, hold-up play, and genuine on-ball creativity could make life easier for fellow DPs Miguel Almir\u00f3n<\/a> and Alexey Miranchuk<\/a> and ignite the team going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n That Atlanta managed to acquire Embolo, fresh off an impressive FIFA World Cup<\/a> showing and a 2025-26 Ligue 1 season where he posted more than half a goal contribution per 90 minutes, is yet another reminder of the club\u2019s intent.<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s time to see it play out.<\/p>\n For so much of this season, injuries have ruined any chance of momentum for Toronto FC<\/a>. They\u2019re still fighting injuries now, with new defensive midfield signing Niklas Dorsch<\/a> sidelined, among others. Yet, with Saturday\u2019s 2-1 victory<\/a> over Inter Miami CF<\/a> marking Toronto\u2019s fourth straight MLS game without a loss, the tide may well be turning.<\/p>\n Against Miami, Toronto’s resilient defending led the way. Happy to concede possession and defend in a combative 4-4-2 block, Robin Fraser\u2019s team allowed just 0.64 xG in the opening period, according to FotMob.<\/p>\n In the second half, the visitors only allowed two open-play shots from inside goalkeeper Luka Gavran<\/a>\u2019s box. That Toronto defended effectively even without Dorsch, a ball-winning Bundesliga veteran who joined earlier this summer, is a statement of what this team is capable of.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, seeing star striker\u00a0Josh Sargent<\/a> score his first goal in MLS since May must have triggered more than a few sighs of relief among Toronto supporters. Sargent, who hasn\u2019t started life in MLS as well as he would’ve wished,\u00a0clearly felt emboldened<\/a> by the finish.<\/p>\n If the defense continues to impress and Sargent has found his form, Toronto could keep climbing up the East.<\/p>\n If a previous version of the New England Revolution<\/a> had seen a Carles Gil<\/a> penalty saved by Matt Freese<\/a> in the first half of a clash with New York City FC<\/a>, it\u2019s entirely possible that their attack would’ve folded on the way to a scoreless outing. That wasn\u2019t the case on Sunday \u2013 nor does it look likely to be the case for this version of the Revs.<\/p>\n Gil did have his penalty saved this past weekend, of course. But that wasn\u2019t the end of the story for New England. No, the rest of Marko Mitrovi\u0107\u2019s starting attacking foursome worked together to score the opener in what turned into a\u00a01-1 draw<\/a> against their Eastern Conference foes. Striker Dor Turgeman<\/a> converted in front of goal. Rising star Peyton Miller<\/a>, who started on the left wing, provided the assist.<\/p>\n And the man who really got the sequence going with a downhill, clipped ball into the box? That would be none other than new Designated Player Jack Harrison<\/a>, breaking the game open against his former team. This, folks, is a brilliant pass:<\/p>\n Whether serving as a pass-before-the-pass dynamo or the final playmaker (the 29-year-old winger has three primary assists in three starts for his new team), Harrison has been crucial for the Revolution.<\/p>\n Signed from the English Premier League\u2019s Leeds United earlier this summer and no stranger to MLS from his time with New York City, Harrison has brought a delightful blend of distribution and dribbling to his winger spot.<\/p>\n With Harrison in the attack, the Revs truly look like a team that could stick in the top four out East.<\/p>\n Life has been good for Charlotte FC<\/a> since MLS play resumed. Dean Smith\u2019s team has gone 3W-2D-1L across their six most recent league games, with a\u00a03-1 victory<\/a> over D.C. United<\/a> on Saturday serving as their freshest result.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not as if Charlotte have been using the same recipe and simply enjoying improved results. No, the recipe has changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most notably, new Designated Player winger Allan Saint-Maximin<\/a> has taken up his place on the left wing \u2013 Wilfried Zaha\u2019s old post. Saint-Maximin made his first start for Charlotte against D.C., and while he didn\u2019t directly contribute to any of the three goals, the 29-year-old\u2019s one-v-one ability provided a genuine spark high up the field. When the former Newcastle man gets his sea legs under him, Charlotte\u2019s attack could elevate.<\/p>\n