MLS Roundup: Inter Miami's slide continues, Antoine Griezmann delivers, and St. Louis City SC add to their hot streak

So, the midweek Philadelphia draw looks pretty forgivable now. The Union are surging, and even if Miami are supposed to win pretty much everything, a 3-3 draw is agreeable against an in-form side finding a bit of valuable rhythm. But Toronto? They should be beatable. Robin Fraser's men are a bit nowhere at the moment, with the big-money signing of Josh Sargent failing to give them the boost that many might have expected.

But Toronto equipped themselves well Saturday night. They did a fine job of keeping things tidy in the first half at Nu Stadium, keeping Miami off the scoresheet and looking more than comfortable to le the Herons have the ball. On the hour mark, they were a little more expansive. And against a Miami midfield missing the legs of Yannick Bright, they stretched the game a bit. Sargent scored in the 59th minute. Derrick Etienne added a deserved second three minutes later. A late Messi goal added hope, but not much else for Miami in a 2-1 loss. This side is now left searching for answers.

It has been a weird period for the Whitecaps. The post-Sebastian Berhalter world is a strange one for the Canadian side, who have spent weeks trying to figure out how to replace his legs and ingenuity in central midfield. They haven't quite figured out the right formula. Andres Cubas can hold defensively, but they still need a box-to-box presence.

Imperfections aside, they made fine work of Dallas Saturday night. Cubas held. Oliver Larraz, making his eighth start of the season, offered something of an answer to the Berhalter question. Another U.S. international, Brian White, scored two, Thomas Muller assisted one, and Vancouver rolled their way to a compelling 5-0 win.

Nashville seem to have an answer for every conundrum at the moment. Miami offered a compelling test a week ago, Messi and all. New York Red Bulls presented an energetic challenge, too, on Wednesday (Nashville came away with a 1-0 win). Columbus, on Saturday night, was more of an intriguing matchup.

The Crew don't have as much raw talent as the best of the East, but they are still a well-drilled side with quality throughout.

Hany Mukhtar looked to have set the table nicely after scoring just before the 30th minute mark. But Columbus responded in fashion, bagging twice midway through the second half. Nashville looked down and out. But then there was late magic. In the 93rd minute, left back Reed Baker-Whiting provided the equalizer. The other full back, Andy Najar, scored the winner two minutes later. It was a remarkable finish from a defender, a quick pivot and a spank into the bottom corner. Nashville are now off to the best start in MLS history, with 49 points through 21 games. What a team.

About five hours before kickoff, it was revealed that St. Louis CITY had traded Eduard Lowen, with the club reportedly unwilling to discuss an extension that he desired until the end of the season. It's those kinds of moves that can derail seasons - or at least make individual games pretty difficult.

St. Louis had lost Marcel Hartel two weeks before, and responded in turn with an impressive road win over San Jose. Here, they did the same, with Dante Polvara, a center back, scoring the unlikely winner on the 85th-minute mark against a surging Houston side. There will be challenges to come, and no doubt calls for new signings. But this was a fantastic way to respond to some controversial roster moves - again.

It's been a strange streak for Antoine Griezmann. The Orlando City man has been as magical as advertised in MLS, full of creativity and intuition. His chance-creation numbers - just over two per 90 minutes - put him among the best in the league. His expected assists are, quite literally, second to none in the league, with 0.4 per 90, over the last nine games.

But it hasn't necessarily translated to goals and assists. Griezmann has never been about raw numbers. But he really should provide in this league. On Saturday, he showed exactly why material production could bring about results for Orlando. He bagged two for Orlando, and an RSL side still looking for answers without Zavier Gozo was sent packing, 2-1.