Leave it better than you found it. My parents instilled this value early in my life – whether it was a campsite, postgame cleanup or my work. The truth is that when I accepted a position at Minnesota United I had no intention of leaving it. How many people get to work for their favorite sports team? I’d dreamt of playing professional soccer for a Minnesota team growing up, watching Thunder games turned Stars games turned United games. I will be forever grateful to Nick Rogers, Andrea Yoch, Bree Dalager and Eric Durkee for giving me the chance to take over the digital efforts of Minnesota United in early 2014. What we built at this club extended beyond what we could have imagined eight years ago.
During my time at the organization, we’ve gained hundreds of thousands of new fans, built a stadium, changed leagues, won a trophy and celebrated success on and off the pitch. A big thank you to Manny Lagos and Carl Craig for making me feel welcomed on the sporting side and guiding me through player relations and Kevin Venegas, Justin Davis, Brent & Brian Kallman, Michael Boxall, Ethan Finlay, Wil Trapp and countless other players for being so kind over the years as we built content and worked to tell their stories. Connecting fans with the team and building that passionate relationship between club and supporter starts with the players. JD drinking beers with True North Elite, the early days of Wonderwall at NSC, Mr. Brightside at halftime and countless other organic traditions that started out of nothing have created an experience that is unique in sports. Minnesota United was built right – no manufactured traditions, actual relationships between players, fans and an amplified stadium experience berthing organic traditions that will carry forward as the club continues to grow.
Nothing is accomplished in life without the support of the people around you. TJ (the brain) Gulenchyn and Michael Shields (the voice of MNUFC) have been instrumental in shaping how we talk about the team and building content that our fans enjoy week-in and week-out. It was an honor to learn from you both and lead that transition from NASL to MLS. Those early initiatives, videos created by the talented Sam Papai and led by Brad Baker and graphics by Scott Rainy helped us to create a top-tier and passionate fan base for MLS and American soccer as a whole. The skeleton crew that manned the MNUFC bandwagon was one of the most talented content teams in all of sports. What we were able to do in those early days with such a small staff will always be an accomplishment – despite few physical accolades to lean on. Our work is exemplified by the chants in-stadium on gameday, small arguments online and passion that echoes throughout the supporters groups and club.
Transitions are challenging for any organization. Tech companies that experience rapid growth complain about disconnect of culture and a loss of identity during expansion. Wes Burdine wrote an interesting article when we announced we were moving from NASL to MLS that likened the move to an indie band signing with a major record label – things will change but the soul of the club will be the same. Steve McPherson joined us in the offseason before our first year in MLS and helped us shape that new look and maintain those old traditions. On top of creating the Sound of the Loons podcast and being a resource for all of our written articles, Steve has coached countless writers at Minnesota United, including myself, and helped to define what Minnesota United is and how we talk about that. I would not be where I am today without his leadership and support within the digital department.
Our content team has added Spanish language with Andrea Correa, digital support and content management expertise with Grace Diersen, expanded graphics and illustrations with Sarah Lumley and Katie Bremer, a full-service video production team of Sam Plucker, Jonathan Whitney, Cole Mayer, Johnny Randazzo and Chris Greene. It is poised for success and I have full confidence in the direction the club is headed and genuinely looking forward to experiencing the creativity of this group translate into content as a Minnesota United fan.
I was given the opportunity to grow at Minnesota United. To be successful and just as importantly to fail. Under the leadership of John Guagliano, my responsibilities grew, my job description evolved and I was given the freedom to shape Minnesota United. I joined the club with the will to express my passion for the sport and the home I found in soccer and to share that with Minnesotans so they could experience that for themselves. The autonomy of direction – of decisions – and the uniqueness of this situation is not lost on me.
What was clear when I joined the club eight years ago was that Minnesota United was special. It was an ember glowing in anticipation of becoming a flame. I dedicated long days, longer weeks and years to turn that flame into a fire burning wildly. It doesn't always flicker exactly how we’d like – we have encountered problems and experienced growing pains – but we managed to create something better and more permanent for fans of the sport in the Twin Cities and throughout the state. The passage of time carries with it change. For me, that means handing the torch to the talented crew that I’ve helped to assemble so that I can transition to the next stage of my career and of my life. I look forward to watching it glow from afar.