It took just seven weeks of MLS play to get our first big change of the season for a Canadian team, with Marco Donadel relieved of his duties following a 1-0-6 start to the campaign.

Things went a bit rosier for the other two teams, particularly Vancouver, which is just to be expected these days. Toronto learned they'll likely have to wait until after the World Cup to get both of their big-money DPs on the pitch, and conceded another late equalizer at home.

Here's everything that stuck out in MLS' matchday seven.

The only constant is change

Year after year, there is no consistency with CF Montréal. The roster turns over all the time, since most good players are moved for a profit, and bad players are just let go.

The last time a coach lasted for over two years was Mauro Biello, and they usually don't even get one full season.

That ended up being Marco Donadel's fate, as after leading at halftime and still losing their home opener 2-1 against a winless Philadelphia Union side, the Impact officially parted ways with the Italian manager.

It was probably time. Donadel's big thing over his 12 months in charge was aggressive, man-to-man marking, and that had run its course, as we've talked about in this column.

There's not enough individual quality on this team, particularly in the midfield, to be able to play like this, and teams end up playing right through them with relative ease once there's enough film on the pressing triggers.

Philippe Eullaffroy now steps in as interim manager, and we'll see how he sets this team up in the near future.

In my mind, the best way to go about this is switching back to the 5-4-1 that was tested by Donadel earlier this season, while using Prince Owusu and Iván Jaime's quality on the break to generate chances, and adding Frankie Amaya to the midfield to help with the defensive side of the game.

But the advantage of a fresh slate is some fresh ideas. We'll see if a new coach bump can start to push Montréal up a fairly weak Eastern Conference.

One DP up, one DP down

It's been rather frustrating watching Toronto FC this season. Not so much because of the play on the pitch, but rather the inability to get their best XI fit at the same time.

Mostly, it's been the fact the club's two DPs, Josh Sargent and Djordje Mihailović, have played just 13 minutes together on the season, between the 70th and 87th minutes of the home opener against the Red Bulls.

From there, the two were substituted for one another at half against Columbus as Sargent was building fitness and Mihailović was batttling an illness.

Now, Mihailović has missed the past two games and will be out until likely after the World Cup, with what was officially diagnosed as a stress fracture in his pelvis, while Sargent is finally fully fit.

So, this group really won't be able to show what they look like fully complete until the summer. Add on the absences of Walker Zimmerman, Deandre Kerr and the continued recovery of Theo Corbeanu, and TFC is very much still shorthanded in some ways.

Injuries are part of sport, though, and you have to adapt when they happen. Robin Fraser will likely have some more tinkering to do after the attack in this draw to Cincinnati wasn't quite where you'd want it to be.

The lack of a connector in the middle of the park was apparent, as there is no natural backup to Mihailović on the roster. José Cifuentes sort of played in that role this weekend, but failed to really make an impact, and to be fair, that's not really his game. 

Jonathan Osorio is in a similar boat, where he's more useful deeper or off the ball than he is as the playmaker, while the rest of the midfield options are more defensive-minded. Dániel Sallói ended up playing as more of an inside forward by the end of the game, but even he's more of a play finisher rather than a playmaker.

Potentially, a solution could come in a formation shift to a 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1, though Zimmerman would need to be healthy for this option. Offensively, it would allow Richie Laryea (and either Raheem Edwards or Matheus Pereira on the other side) more freedom to move up the pitch to impact the game and create chances from wide areas.

It would also keep Sallói and Sargent in good scoring positions, which would help them from drifting too wide to help link up the play. But this is just one setup solution that would provide a different look. It still won't solve the issue of not having a central playmaker, because the only one on the team is hurt.

On a positive note, Toronto is still unbeaten at home this season and is now five games unbeaten, sitting tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference. This is definitely a group that's taken a step up from recent seasons, and the fact that there's still clearly room for improvement should bring optimism.

The stats of a dominant win

One of those teams Toronto is tied with is NYCFC, who have hit a rougher stretch of form but is still a solid team that made the Eastern Conference final last year.

However, at BC Place this weekend, the Vancouver Whitecaps showed them the gap between a good and great team in MLS.

The base stats paint a pretty decent picture of the match. In the first half, while the possession was close to even, the Whitecaps were clearly able to do more with the ball. 

They had 14 shots (12 of which from inside the box), 21 touches inside NYCFC's box, two big chances, and six corners. They also won other attacking set pieces, including the free kick that Mathías Laborda headed home to give the hosts the lead.

Meanwhile, New York City had just two shots, four touches in Vancouver's box and zero big chances or corners. They couldn't take their possession out of the middle and defensive thirds, where the Whitecaps would be pressing for chances any time the ball was at their feet.

In the second half, chasing the game, NYCFC gained more of the ball and had a few more chances and danger, but still didn't generate any big looks. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps became more dangerous on the break and found six shots on target, culminating in Brian White's header in the 87th minute to put the game to bed.

The final numbers were all in favour of the home side. 3.34-0.63 in expected goals. 23-10 in shots. 10-2 in shots on target. 4-0 in big chances. 12-5 in corners. Vancouver simply showed the entire game why they are the better team in every single phase. 

That dominance is exactly why sit atop the MLS Supporters' Shield race through seven weeks of the season.