By James NaltonPlenty of early-season narratives were confirmed, while the best team in the league during this opening stage consolidated their place at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings for the next two months.Typical Inter MiamiIf you want a summary of Inter Miami’s season so far, this final game before the World Cup break was it.A 6-4 win at Nu Stadium versus Philadelphia Union gave them another win, which keeps them second in the Eastern Conference, but also added plenty more to the goals against column.This team have the best attack in the league, which isn’t surprising given they have Lionel Messi, but also one of the worst defences, and showed that in the most exaggerated fashion to date against the Union on Sunday, with the eight goals scored in the first half breaking an MLS record.There were hat-tricks for Miami’s Luis Suárez and for the Union’s Milan Iloski, who earned the game’s (but not the matchweek’s, more on that later) highest FotMob rating with 9.8, ahead of Suárez’s 9.7.It was a feel-good win in an entertaining but low-quality game that had no regard for defending, though it also came with the worrying sight of Messi leaving the pitch in the 73rd minute and heading straight down the tunnel. Interim Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos described the issue as fatigue, which for Messi usually means a slight muscle injury he needs to recover from in time for bigger and more important games.The No. 10 would have been eager to make sure any mild pain didn’t turn into something more serious, as his Argentina side look to defend their World Cup title this summer. He wasn’t taking any risks.Looking beyond the summer, Inter Miami are strongly linked with the transfer of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who will be a free agent after his contract with Manchester United expires in June.Though the 34-year-old adds experience in a position they need to strengthen, he might not be mobile enough to solve the tactical problem they have of being unable to defend counter-attacks. The issue against the Union was that they couldn’t really defend any type of situation, though, and Casemiro could at least help organise things on the field. Luckily for Miami, they can score goals from any type of situation, too.Union from best to worstThe result meant yet another defeat for defending Supporters’Shield champions, Philadelphia Union, and the only unusual aspect of it from their point of view is that they managed to score four goals.Defeats have become all too familiar for the Pennsylvania side, who have gone from topping the regular season table in 2025 to being rooted to the bottom at the end of this opening part of the 2026 season.They have lost ten of their 15 games, only winning one, in what has been the worst start to a regular season title defence imaginable.There is some cause for optimism, not least in that there are no games for two months. This gives them a chance to sort out whatever needs sorting, on and off the pitch, but whether they make the most of it remains to be seen.They are also not the worst team in the league as far as xG difference is concerned, sitting 20th out of 30 teams in that regard, and also have the third-most touches in the opposition box in the league, just behind Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps.Though the Union have been poor, and there is plenty they need to do to get back on track, they are not quite as bad as the league table suggests.Nashville top for two monthsWhile Inter Miami are all about the attack, with little regard paid to defending, Nashville have shown the benefits of a solid defence by rising to the top of the league after the opening 15 games.This defensive solidity has also helped in the absence of top goal-getter Sam Surridge, who has been out injured for the majority of the past two months.Goals still need scoring if a team is to hold such a position in the league table, though, and as with the defending, it’s been very much a team effort.Credit needs to go to head coach and former United States interim manager BJ Callaghan, who has set the team up to make them difficult to beat, but also with every chance of winning any game they go into.Jeisson Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi both scored their first goals of the season this weekend to give Nashville a 2-1 win at home to New York City, taking the number of different scorers for the club in the league this year to 11.Goalkeeper Brian Schwake put in another good performance between the posts, and he’s now third in the league for “goals prevented” on 4.8, behind Seattle’s Andrew Thomas and New England’s Matt Turner (both 6.0).Evander back to his bestBrazilian attacking midfielder Evander has been one of the best players in MLS each season since he moved to the league to join Portland Timbers in 2023.He’s hit double figures for goals in the past two seasons and is only one away from doing so again in 2026.He’s now in his second campaign with FC Cincinnati, having moved there last year, and for the past couple of seasons, he’s arguably been the best of the rest in the league, behind Messi.It has been an inconsistent start to the season for the team from Ohio, and Evander hasn’t quite caught the eye at his usual level, but that is beginning to change.The 27-year-old has seven goals and five assists in his last five games, including two goals and three assists to earn a FotMob rating of 9.9, just 0.1 short of the magic 10 in a 6-2 win against Orlando City on Saturday night.The Cincinnati fans will hope he can pick up where he left off when MLS resumes two months from now.(Cover Image from IMAGO)You can follow every match from MLS with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including player ratings. 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