Orlando City came into the 2019 season with three rookies on the roster — Homegrown Player Benji Michel and MLS SuperDraft selections Santiago Patiño and Kamal Miller. All three players showed promise in 2019, with Miller earning starting minutes on the Canadian Men’s National Team due to his versatility and athleticism at both center back and left back and Patiño getting a call-up from the Colombian U-23s. Meanwhile, Michel developed nicely over the course of the season and put up numbers comparable to MLS Rookie of the Year Andrei Shinyashiki of the Colorado Rapids.
Shinyashiki is a player that — like Patiño — stood out at the MLS Player Combine prior to the draft.