It won't be long until Orlando City regret or revel in Kyle Smith's Cincinnati switch

After seven storied seasons in Central Florida, Kyle Smith has departed for pastures new.

Truth be told, most Orlando City supporters would've expected their former full back to hang up his boots when negotiations over a possible renewal stalled and instead return to accountancy - a quirk about his pre-soccer professional life that made him so relatable during his time here.

But no. Yesterday, it was confirmed that the 33-year-old had opted to prolong his footballing career, joining Eastern Conference rivals FC Cincinnati on an initial one-year deal.

Although I'm buzzing that he's been awarded the opportunity to finally represent his hometown team, this move certainly asks questions of Ricardo Moreira. If Smith is still capable of playing a bit-part role in this league at his age, then why can't he do so at Orlando?

With Alex Freeman now standing alone as Orlando's only senior right back, Moreira is going to have to come up with an answer, and fast.

The ultimate professional

Given the wealth of experience he's accrued over the past decade and on the biggest of stages, it's no wonder Cincinnati snapped Smith up as swiftly as they did.

Boasting two league championships with former club Louisville City alongside his mammoth 216 appearances and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup medal with Orlando, you have a player who's certainly been there and done that.

But it's not just Smith's mileage that will prove such an asset in Cincinnati.

The thing is, just over half of those appearances were actual starts. Typically playing second fiddle to Ruan and then Dagur Dan Thórhallsson before Freeman burst onto the scene, much of his Orlando career has been spent on the bench, helping out on the pitch whenever and wherever necessary.

The ultimate Swiss army knife, Orlando's loss is only Cincinnati's gain.

Last man standing

I know I'm not the only one who fully anticipated Smith to stay when news of Thórhallsson's shock sale to CF Montréal dropped in early December. But not for the last time this off-season, we were all to be proven wrong.

The truth is, I'm really concerned about Orlando's lack of depth at right back heading into the new season.

However good Freeman is, he can't play every minute of every game. And that's assuming he'll still be here come the conclusion of Europe's mid-season transfer window early next month, with this probably being Orlando's only chance to make any money from their homegrown star before his contract runs out and leaves for nothing.

From the outside, it certainly seems as if Moreira has overplayed his hand by letting two of his three senior right backs depart within the space of one December week. But what if this was his plan all along?

The new Freeman?

Thanks to serious investment in the club's academy during Luiz Muzzi's tenure, players like Freeman bursting onto the scene is no fluke.

In fact, no less than six homegrown stars made at least one senior appeance last season. One of those was Zakaria Taifi, currently Orlando's second-choice right back, who looks set to profit from these recent defensive departures and play a major role this year.

Making his debut during April's score draw in Montréal, the 20-year-old earned eight further first-team appearances throughout the remainder of the season alongside his day-to-day duties with Orlando City B, for whom he's already accrued three years of development.

Yes, he's still yet to make his full debut, but neither had Freeman this time twelve months ago. As we saw then, the immense pressure of playing in front of 25,000 fans at such a young age created a diamond, and I'd back Taifi to do the same soon.