Major League Soccer is now fully back in the swing of things after nearly two months off thanks to the World Cup, as each team has now played two or three games coming out of the break.

It's a bit of an awkward time of the season, with the transfer market active, teams knocking off the rust, and just generally almost serving as a second season. Because of that, it's probably not fully fair to make any grandiose takes about any team yet, but instead look at some smaller, personnel details or tactical wrinkles that have been happening as teams return to the pitch.

For Canada's three MLS teams, it hasn't been the kindest return to play in the world. Vancouver hasn't quite gotten up to full speed on either side of the ball, Toronto still can't get healthy, and Montréal has lacked quality against a tough schedule.

Here's what's stuck out in MLS' matchday 18, and the games before that exiting the break.

Missing an engine

The Whitecaps have played just two league games since the break, thanks to wildfire smoke postponing their match in Chicago.

Still, over those two games, things haven't quite gone to plan. The 'Caps were far too open in transition against a Cincinnati team littered with offensive stars, and then struggled to create chances in a toothless draw at Minnesota.

Those two teams play very different styles of football, but the same thing seemed to hold. Vancouver missed what Sebastian Berhalter provides with and without the ball in the midfield. 

The American, set to be sold to Middlesbrough, has been a key part of Jesper Sørensen's side, and will need to be replaced somehow if the team wants to seriously contend for trophies this year.

Berhalter's set-piece delivery can help create danger in games where open-play creation is limited, and his energy and ground coverage in midfield can help mop up transitional chances at times, especially when paired alongside Andrés Cubas in midfield.

That pairing is the key. While the Whitecaps have been quite unlucky in the injury department this year, particularly in the attack and at centre-back, one thing that's been mostly constant is the midfield pivot of two World Cup-calibre players. 

The biggest reason Vancouver lost to Seattle in the Champions Cup this year was Cubas' absence from leg one. Some of the other rare subpar performances from the 'Caps this season have been with one of the two missing from the lineup. 

The fact is the midfield was the true engine of this team, running things with and without the ball. Now, half of that engine is gone, and will need to be replaced.

Internally, Oliver Larraz is a fine backup but likely isn't good enough to start for a championship side. Jeevan Badwal will hopefully be able to fill that spot one day, but it may be too soon as of now. Ralph Priso is still out hurt, but could he step back into midfield to fill the gap?

If none of these options work, it will be time to work the transfer market for Axel Schuster and the front office. This is still a championship-calibre team, and a season can't go to waste because of one sale.

Short on quality

Sitting a few points out of the playoff spots, CF Montréal's first three games coming out of the break could've been a chance to really make a statement entering the back half of the season against their bitter rivals and then two of the best teams in MLS.

A chance to prove the positive trends under interim boss Philippe Eullaffroy were for real, and this is indeed a team that could make the postseason. Getting anywhere between four and nine points against Toronto, Nashville and Miami would range from a solid return to an absolute statement.

Instead, they exited that stretch with one point, and more proof of the lack of top-end quality on this Impact team.

The Toronto match was dull with two sides clearly rusty in their first league game back, and Prince Owusu was clearly missed. Still, a better team would've found a way to find a moment of quality in the derby and give a signature moment to the home crowd.

Away at Nashville is tough, but the game only finished 1-0 for the hosts on a frankly ridiculous penalty decision. Still, there were chances to get a key road point, at a minimum, against a top team that has looked a little sluggish out of the break.

Miami were absolutely there for the taking, particularly with Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi missing. The final xG was 2.04-1.81 in favour of Montréal, but a lack of finishing quality saw chances wasted, and another 1-0 loss thanks to a penalty (on that note, glad to hear Germán Berterame is doing better after a scary injury).

That's probably the worst part. It's not like the bleu-blanc-noir got torn apart by the class of the league and elite players far out of Joey Saputo's pay grade. It was 1-0 on a penalty, twice, after you couldn't win the Canadian Classique at home.

There just wasn't enough quality, a failure to score the final ball, a lack of something in the final third.

Now, the hill to climb is at seven points, and with Orlando and Philadelphia all of a sudden looking strong, it will be a mountain to get up into the playoff spots for Montréal.

At the very least, the performances haven't been dreadful. Hopefully, a couple real signings are on the way in the attack, and there can be something salvaged from 2026.

Availability is the best ability

The time off was supposed to be a blessing for Toronto. So many injuries derailing the season was the story back in May, but most timelines were expected to be cleared up in plenty of time to hit the back end in stride.

Instead? Almost nothing has changed. Đorđe Mihailovic has come off the bench a couple times and looked alright, but still hasn't started since March 14. Josh Sargent's availability has been hit or miss. Benjamín Kuscevic hasn't played since April. New midfield signing Nelson Palacio still hasn't made the bench, while soon-to-be DP midfielder Niklas Dorsch hasn't been announced yet. 

Aside from Richie Laryea and Theo Corbeanu, basically everyone who was injured in May is still injured now. 

It's almost useless to talk about what goes on on the pitch, because none of the best players are involved in the games. A pair of 0-0 draws marked the first two games back, and then a late 2-1 defeat in D.C. put a bit of a dent in any faint playoff hopes.

In the attack, TFC is mostly too slow and lacking any killer instinct, because their two DP attackers aren't on the pitch. Defensively, Walker Zimmerman has at least looked very good of late, Jackson Gilman has been a nice story, and they've done a decent job suppressing chances lately, though it's come at an offensive cost sitting fairly deep.

At the very least, Corbeanu was excellent in D.C., particularly when Mihailović came on. His 1v1 dribbling ability when there's someone who can create space and gravity for him is a plus, and the Canadian winger created a lot of danger this weekend and was rewarded with a goal of his own.

But there's nothing else that can really be talked about because we simply don't know what this team looks like with their best players available. When Sargent and Mihailović have played a combined 17 minutes all season, that is the only thing that really matters.

Toronto has to get its best players on the pitch. Analysis can come from there.