Braian Ojeda is the missing piece of Orlando City's midfield puzzle

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.S. Open Cup, and Supporters' Shield contention, all by the start of summer.

But this is no regime of old at work this time around.

Ricardo Moreira, still in his first year at the top of the food chain, is playing an absolute blinder this off-season. First through the door were Brazilian starlets Tiago and Luiz Otávio, before he bounced back from the Carlos Coronel saga by seemingly nailing down the next best thing, Maxime Crépeau.

This latest move, though, is his best work yet. On Wednesday, it was announced that Orlando are set to acquire Braian Ojeda from Real Salt Lake for an estimated $1.2 million in General Allocation Money (GAM), despite the 25-year-old receiving multiple offers from Europe.

If this one isn't a statement of intent from Moreira, then I don't know what is.

A master of his craft

Ojeda has been absolutely crucial to his team's rejuvenation over the past four seasons.

Delivering 7 goals and 5 assists in 123 games from defensive midfield, he is more than capable of stepping up in the final third when needed. But it is his ability to completely dictate games that stands out most.

Ranking among the league's best in class for successful passes, accurate long balls, and chances created last season, he excels at turning defence into attack on a dime. Add to that his huge number of aerial duels won, interceptions made, and recoveries, he combines the best qualities of Atuesta and Cartagena in one.

A welcome change

Sure, the two young Brazilians recruited so far this winter are exciting prospects, but any winning team must balance youth with proven quality. That's where Ojeda comes in.

He may only be in his mid-twenties, but he already boasts experience playing in England, Argentina, and his native Paraguay alongside his four-and-a-half years as a regular in this league - not to mention 14 senior appearances for his national team.

This means that, unlike Otávio, he won't need any time to acclimatise to his new surroundings. Fans can expect him to hit the ground running, which should bode well for Orlando's hopes of finally demonstrating their Shield credentials from the off and not only when they get their act together after half a season.

The final piece of the puzzle

Even though they're still yet to feature together, I'm sure that the more attack-minded Atuesta and the defensively-astute Cartagena will make an accomplished duo in this league.

Add to that Otávio and Colin Guske, who will be eyeing his own Alex Freeman-like breakout this year, and you have four really capable options in central midfield.

But, as we all learnt last season, that isn't always enough. Whenever Araújo was slapped with yet another of his trademark one-game suspensions or Atuesta picked up one of his endless niggles, Pareja had little choice but to turn to one of Kyle Smith or Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to cover for them. It's really no mystery why Orlando's season completely unravelled in the manner it did.

This time, though, things should be different. Pareja is now able to call upon three proven midfielders as well as two promising understudies, something which few other managers in this league can boast.