Atlanta United was the class of MLS in 2018, from its record-breaking crowds, to its record-setting striker, but the Five Stripes weren't the only impressive aspect of the league's 23rd season.
The arrival of stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney helped raise the international profile of the league, while Carlos Vela stepped in to help Los Angeles FC enjoy an impressive debut season in MLS.
The 2018 season also saw some veterans reach new levels, such as Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei, and New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long, as well as some young players who emerged as difference-makers, such as Real Salt Lake rookie Corey Baird and FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon.
This season also saw top young MLS talent draw serious attention on the transfer market, Alphonso Davies' transfer to Bayern Munich and Zack Steffen's looming move to Manchester City signaling the league's shift into being more of a selling league, a change MLS commissioner Don Garber acknowledged is now taking place.
With the season now over, here is a look at what the Goal staff saw as being the best of the best in MLS in 2018:
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