Top 10 Moments of 2014: “Major Monday”

As we count down to the new year of 2015, Orlando City SC’s first in MLS, and say goodbye to 2014, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year.

Our No. 6 moment of the year should still be fresh in everyone’s minds, because it happened just 18 days ago. With a half-day MLS trading window at its disposal, Orlando City SC made the most of its opportunity and announced its “Major Monday” acquisitions of goalkeeper Tally Hall, central defender Aurelien Collin, and defensive midfielder Amobi Okugo.

The Hall trade had been well known for quite a while, but didn't get formally announced until Dec. 8, and the deals for Collin and Okugo were nice surprises for City fans. In effect, the club built the base of its spine by adding the trio of players to central attacking midfielder Kaka. A solid striker, whether 19-year-old Designated Player Bryan Rochez or the long-rumored Carlos Rivas, is all that's left to cap off what appears to be a very sturdy middle for the expansion MLS franchise.

"Everybody recognizes that the spine of the team is very important and you can build around it," said Head Coach Adrian Heath. "We've got three great pieces here…not only good pieces and good players, but more importantly, we've got experience in this league."

Adding these three vital cogs to the Orlando City machine was a huge step forward for the club in laying the foundation for a successful first MLS campaign. If the Lions are going to become the contender they tell us they'd like to be right out of the gate, then "Major Monday" will have been one of the most important steps in reaching that goal.

Check out the rest of our top 10 Orlando City moments of 2014:

10. Kevin Molino breaks the USL Pro goal-scoring record

9. Postseason USL Pro honors for Molino and Luke Boden

8. Winning top pick in Draft Lottery

7. Molino becomes the club's first ever MLS player signing.