The Minnesota United soccer team has captured the Twin Cities sports scene by storm since it debut this spring and Osseo High graduate Eli Hoff has experienced the new phenomenon up close as the managing editor of EPluribusLoonum.com, the team’s community webpage.

Hoff, a 2019 Osseo High graduate, has had an interest in sports journalism since third grade when he read a book by Washington Post columnist John Feinstein about two teenage sports journalists and thought their job was too good to be true.

“Watching sports, talking to athletes and writing about it — for a job?” Hoff said. “At that point, it seemed like a dream job. The book inspired me to get a jump start on journalism early. Osseo High School doesn’t offer a student newspaper or any journalism classes, so I decided to see what I could do in the ‘real world.’ I didn’t know how far I would make it without any training, but my goal was to be credentialed for a professional sporting event by the time I turned 18. I ended up doing that two years early and accomplishing far more than I ever thought I would.”

A little bit of luck helped Hoff land the job covering the Loons.

“I had been writing a little bit for my own website but l was looking for a chance to move up to a bigger operation,” he recalled. “In late 2016, SB Nation, a national sports blogging network, was looking for writers for its new Minnesota United-focused website, so they took a chance on me. About a year and a half ago, our three editors moved on and I was our longest-serving contributor, so I was promoted to managing editor post. I’ve also started freelancing a little bit this summer, covering Minnesota United and the US Men’s National Team for Major League Soccer’s website. A couple of the editors there was familiar with my work, so I was their pick for stories in the Twin Cities market. It’s pretty crazy that I’ve had all these opportunities with very little experience or training.”

As manager editor for E Pluribus Loonum, Hoff leads a staff of about 15 writers, photographers and designers. His main job is to cover United’s home games from the Allianz Field press box, which also means attending the head coach’s post-game press conference and interviewing players in the locker room and practices.

“Not all of my writing is strictly reporting based, though, so there are columns, opinion pieces and statistical analysis projects that I work on,” Hoff said. “I get to do a lot of different stuff, which is what makes it so fun.”

Another fun part of Hoff’s job is watching the Loons gain in popularity and soccer blossom into a major spectator sport in the Twin Cities. All the Loons’ home games at Allianz Field are sold out.

“I see Loons apparel everywhere now, and the team is only getting more popular,” Hoff said. “Soccer is losing the reputation of being a boring game as people actually check it out and realize how entertaining it is. I used to be firmly in that camp until I really discovered ‘the beautiful game’ a few years ago, so it’s awesome to see more and more people becoming soccer fans. Minnesota United has also become one of the best teams in the league this year, so there should be some post-season action this fall to really get fans hooked.”

The spanking new Allianz Field’s awesome ambiance adds to the Loons’ appeal, Hoff said.

“It’s really one of the best fields in the league,” he said. “Allianz Field’s architecture helps trap sound in, but that’s not even necessary. The 19,400+ fans are cheering for all 90 minutes, and it’s deafening after a goal or a win. Following tradition, the fans sing Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ after a victory, which is always a powerful moment for everyone in the stadium. Players and coaches always praise the atmosphere created by a fanbase, but you can tell that Minnesota United really means it. The US Men’s National Team played here in July and the World Cup champion US Women’s Team is coming in September. So what’s happening here has gotten national recognition. Minnesota is right up there with markets like New York and Los Angeles for soccer now.”

At just 18, Hoff has already collected a professional resume that many longtime sports writers will never achieve. But he has not lost sight of his educational pursuits. This fall, Hoff will be attending the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.

“It was the nation’s first J-School, so I’m super excited to learn from the best in the business there,” Hoff said. “I will not be covering Minnesota United when I am in school. I’ll be writing in some degree about Mizzou sports, but I don’t know what outlet or what sport yet.”