Just a few weeks ago, Orlando City's midfield looked to be in ruins.
Following Joran Gerbet's devastating tear to his left anterior cruciate ligament and César Araújo's departure for pastures new, the duo of Eduard Atuesta and Wilder Cartagena - who himself hasn't played for twelve months - were left as Óscar Pareja's only senior options in the middle of the park heading into the new season.
Previous recruitment regimes, as we're all too aware, probably wouldn't have addressed such critical lack of squad depth until it was too late, when one of Orlando's signature slow starts had them eliminated from CONCACAF Champions Cup, Lamar Hunt U.