This past week had the potential to be a franchise-changing one for Minnesota United.



Monday night marked the end of the Christian Ramirez era, with the striker being traded to conference rival Los Angeles FC for at least $800,000 in allocation money. For much of the last 48 hours, the discussion has understandably centered on the player that was traded away. From his on-field output to his standing with the Loons fanbase, Ramirez was a central piece of the team’s first 18 months in MLS, not to mention the closing years of its NASL tenure.



It’s totally fair to need a few days to process a Minnesota team that doesn’t roster Christian Ramirez. After all, the last time the striker wasn’t donning the crest was in 2013, when the team failed to make the NASL postseason and was paced by Pablo Campos’ 13 goals. Realistically, it’ll take the remainder of the 2018 season to adjust your vision to the missing number 21 shirt on the team...