Letter from the Editor: A two-year thank you

Two years ago today, SB Nation launched a new blog with a Latin (-ish) name to cover a new soccer team: Minnesota United FC, which would begin play in MLS the following spring.

I don’t think they planned that launch to coincide with Thanksgiving this year, but our site’s “birthday” happens to fall on the perfect day to be thankful.

Over the past 730 days, we’ve clogged up your Twitter feeds 11,300 times, publishing 1,042 articles (not including this one), an eclectic mix of everything from satire to statistical analysis. We like to think that we’re a fun site to read.

I do want to brag about some personnel acquisitions we made this year. We were able to send two photographers to United’s home games, capturing great shot after great shot of the Loons. (You can see some of their work on our Instagram page.) We also expanded our local soccer coverage with writers based in the Fargo-Moorhead and Duluth markets, as well as adding to our Twin Cities base.

Our reader base is — thankfully — constantly growing, something I never cease to be grateful for. We can write all we want, but unless we have people to read it, our site is just a glorified diary. Thank you for continually reading, commenting on and sharing our articles. You’re a special bunch.

As we head into our third year of existence — and don’t worry, I won’t even mention a certain word that starts with “p” and rhymes with fan — we hope to bring you even better coverage of Minnesota United, and beyond. We’re adding coverage of the Loons likely USL affiliate, Forward Madison FC, as well as continuing to build our network of local soccer writers.

We also hope to debut a new vertical, E Pluribus en Español, with Spanish-language content bringing a new angle to the Loons. (If you’re interested in joining our team, check out our openings.)

I also want to thank all of our talented contributors on staff. I count myself very lucky to be able to rely on a great bunch of writers, photographers and designers to create a fun atmosphere and keep me on my toes with content ideas. They make my job a pleasure to do.

We’ve got a full offseason for us to turn our attention to. We’ll be here with the latest transfer rumors as the Loons look to pad their roster before opening Allianz Field in a few months.

Thanks for reading, enjoy your Thanksgiving, and COYL!

-Eli Hoff, Managing Editor