2018 was not a good year for Sky Blue FC. Amid a cacophony of reports of untenable conditions surrounding nearly every off-field aspect of the club, broken nearly simultaneously by Once a Metro and The Equalizer, the team went on a 23-game winless streak before securing their one and only win in the season finale.
The off-field turmoil continued throughout the offseason right through the end of preseason. Players departed the team one by one, the club’s top two draft picks opted to sign in Europe rather than play for the club, Cloud 9 tweeted weekly rants refusing to renew season tickets until real changes and improvements were made at the club, and reports stated that Sky Blue lost the only National Women’s Soccer League-era jersey sponsor it had ever known.