Loons' highs and lows of 2018
Positives
52,000-plus: The club set an attendance record for a stand-alone local-team soccer game when it closed out its two-year run at TCF Bank Stadium on Oct. 21.
Quintero emerges: The Loons signed Darwin Quintero as their first designated player in March and he exceeded expectations. In a first partial season, he led the team with 11 goals and 14 assists.
Batman bounces back: Miguel Ibarra struggled in his return to the Loons last year, starting just 20 games and scoring only three goals with four assists. This year, he cemented his place as a starter, and has seven goals and eight assists.
Negatives
Minimal improvement: With one game left in the season, the Loons (11-19-3) are just a 2-0 defeat from finishing their second year with the same points, goals allowed and goal differential as in the disappointing inaugural year.
Road woes: Last season United had three victories and two draws on the road. This year, the totals are just one victory and two draws with one game left.
Trading a star: The departure of forward Christian Ramirez, a fan favorite, to LAFC at midseason sent supporters into a spiral. The club could reap $1 million of allocation money from the deal but hasn't used enough of it yet to determine whether it was a good call.
Megan Ryan
