Twice this month, Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath has stood behind the podium within Allianz Field and, in different ways, called for more from attacking midfielder Darwin Quintero.

While the $250 million St. Paul stadium has been featured in two games, both times the club’s most expensive, and arguably most important, player hasn’t starred.

More production from the club’s first high-priced Designated Player has been asked on the road, too. While Quintero leads Minnesota and is tied for fourth in MLS with five goals this season, four goals have come on penalty kicks, leaving only one in 616 minutes of open play. He’s tied for a team high with three assists but has none in his past five matches.

In the middle of a three-game homestand, Quintero and the Loons (3-3-2) will play Wayne Rooney and D.C. United (5-2-2) at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Allianz Field. D.C. leads the Eastern Conference and is the only MLS team unbeaten on the road this season (3-0-1), while the Loons have two home draws, and the scoreless tie Wednesday with Los Angeles Galaxy marked the only time Minnesota’s offense has been shut out this season.

After a frenetic 3-3 draw with New York City in the Allianz Field opener April 13, Heath was subtle and delicate on his assessment of Quintero, who he subbed out after one shot in 76 minutes.

“It was one of them days for him,” Heath said. “Not a lot came off for him. We thought we’d make the change later on, but there will certainly be better days for Darwin.”

Quintero then scored two goals in a 4-3 road loss to Toronto FC on April 19, including a threatening run in the box to score his first open-play goal after 452 minutes this season.

But after a 0-0 draw with the Galaxy, Heath was more direct in his assessment of Quintero.

“He’s still not what we need,” Heath said. “But he’s getting there. He’s getting better. … I thought it might have been his best of the season. A couple occasions where (the ball is) turned over, but I feel as though he’s getting back to where we want him to be because when he is, he’s the game changer.”

In the seventh minute Wednesday, Quintero intercepted a Galaxy pass and went on a long run, with a key pass to Angelo Rodriguez, whose shot went off the goal’s side netting. In the 54th, Quintero had one of the game’s best chances against the stingy Galaxy defense, but after a cutback inside the 18-yard box, his shot sailed over the goal.

“The field played a factor on the bounce of the ball and at the moment of hitting it, I was not able to connect well,” Quintero said. “We must get used to the field, (and) step-by-step we will continue to improve. I know we will win many games here.”

Quintero’s nickname, Scientist of the Goal, plays off his first name and his level of successful experimentation around the net, a creativity that produced 11 goals and 15 assists in 27 games during his first MLS season in 2018.

Quintero’s effect on a game can be huge. Before the Allianz Field opener, Minnesota averaged 1.6 goals per game in the nearly 3,000 minutes with Quintero on the field since he joined the club last April, per Opta.

But in the nearly 900 minutes without him, Minnesota averages half that production at 0.8 goals per 90 minutes.

After Quintero missed the Loons’ 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls on April 6, Heath attempted to motivate Quintero, saying the preseason MLS MVP candidate’s spot in Minnesota’s starting XI wasn’t a lock after a win without him.

“Darwin is going to put so much pressure on himself to do something special, especially after the way he started last year,” said Loons assistant coach Ian Fuller, whose primary work is with attacking players. “We’ve got to take that off of him, putting special players around him.”

In preseason, the Loons dreamed about a plethora of attacking options to complement Quintero — forward Rodriguez, and midfielders Romario Ibarra, Miguel Ibarra and Abu Danladi, with Ethan Finlay and Kevin Molino coming back from serious knee injuries.

After Molino went down last March, Quintero was brought in for $1.65 million a year from Club America in Mexico’s Liga MX, helping create this season’s surplus. Now Finlay and Molino are both back in the mix, creating a plethora of options for Heath.

United’s game against the Galaxy was the first time Molino and Quintero were on the field together, but Molino looked “very sloppy by his own standards,” Heath said. Yet the Loons see this partnership creating a potentially dynamic midfield. Related Articles Loons’ late rally falls short in 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew

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Last season, Miguel Ibarra felt a boost from Quintero’s arrival. While the club’s 17 goals is tied for third-best in the league going into Saturday’s action, not everything has clicked for the Loons.

“He’ll get there,” Ibarra said. “He wants to do the best he can for the team. We will get there little by little. He’s always positive, so he will keep pushing.”