Has Orlando City Finally Answered Its Preseason Questions?

With apologies to Dennis Green, Orlando City is not who we thought they were.

Coming into the 2015 season, the Lions were always going to be a bit of an enigma. An expansion team that's not quite an expansion team, Orlando has made it clear from the beginning that they expect to win now. And they wouldn't have signed the highest-paid player in MLS if they weren't serious about it.

The Lions have played a brand of soccer this season that could be described as both heartbreaking (Vancouver and .C.) and exhilarating to watch (Montreal and Portland). But after six games, it's easy to forget just how much we've learned about this team in the last month. So let's take a look back at three questions that fans had about Orlando City coming into the season and what the club has done to answer them.

How will Kaká make the adjustment to MLS?

He might be the most well-known player in MLS , but for Orlando City, Kaká was also one of the biggest question marks coming into the 2015 season.

When he signed with Orlando last summer, the Brazilian superstar put the expansion club on the map based on his fame and star power alone. But many wondered how the former FIFA World Player of the Year would perform at age 32, with a new club in a new league.

Well, Kaká has wasted no time in responding.

Through his first six games in an Orlando City shirt, Kaká has scored three goals and notched an assist. He's been his usual crafty and elusive self in the midfield and has helped facilitate an offense that might finally be ready to roar after an impressive win in Portland.

There have been times when Kaká has looked a bit surprised by the physicality of the league, but he's never lost his composure or seemed flustered on the pitch. A model of consistency, he's the kind of player any club would want wearing the captain's armband.

Who gets the start at right back?

It seems amazing now, but this was actually a very real question before the home opener.

And it just makes the season Rafael Ramos is having even more remarkable.

The Portuguese youngster made his debut with Lions in USL PRO last season, but was seen by many as a defense liability coming into 2015. Having never played a full season in a top-flight league, Ramos was unproven before the season but earned the trust of the coaching staff in preseason training. He was penciled in as the starter against New York City FC and hasn’t looked back.

After his coming out party against Houston, in which he shut down USMNT veterans Brad Davis and DaMarcus Beasley, Ramos has become a fixture in Adrian Heath’s starting XI. And it looks like he might be there for a while.

How many of the USL guys mill make an impact?

Orlando City is one of the more unique expansion teams in MLS history, because they're not really an expansion team at all.

After four successful season in the USL, Orlando certainly brought a winning mentality to the top flight, but also signed many of their players to MLS contracts in the process.

The Lions brought eight players with them from their USL days and five have already made their MLS debuts with Orlando this season. While only Ramos and Kevin Molino have become fixtures in the starting lineup, Darwin Ceren has also made some nice contributions in the midfield. Luke Boden and Tyler Turner stepped in during the Montreal game when the roster was decimated by international call-ups.

The biggest surprise has been Ramos (he's a pretty popular guy around here) and watching him blossom into a legitimate MLS player has been one of the highlights of the young season. Molino has yet to find the back of the net in MLS, but he had a nice assist in Portland and could be on the verge of breaking out.

How have the Lions answered your questions?