Going back to last summer when the 2016 MSOC schedule was announced, App soccer fans were puzzled by the lack of balance between home (6) and road (12) tilts. They were also puzzled by a schedule in which the team didn't play on its home pitch until the sixth match--a full month into the season. I posed those concerns with Coach O'Keefe. I share this reply with his permission.

"It was not my doing that we have so many away games and few home games. This schedule was done before I arrived. It is nothing that will continue in the future. I spent the 1st month (or a large part) fixing this problem for the 2017 schedule, we will have 10 away and 9 home. I will work tirelessly to have a better balance in the future years as well. It makes no sense to start out 8 out of 10 on the road to open the season and have 14 away and only 6 home. Not a recipe for success."

In addition, Coach O'Keefe recently sent a post-season update to soccer alumni. In it, he indicated that...

"The guys have all left for the semester and are enjoying their winter break. They will report back to campus on Jan. 17th and we will get back to work as a team. They all received a winter training packet to complete various running, strength and conditioning exercises so hopefully once they arrive we can pick up where we left off Nov. 10th and continue to get better everyday.

I have been on the road recruiting literally since the day after the season ended. I have been to the CASL Shootout(Raleigh), USSDA Showcase(Sarasota), USYSA National League(Wilson, NC), Sigma Showcase(Toronto,CA), IMG Cup(Bradenton,FL) and will be going down to the Disney Showcase in Orlando the day after Christmas. Recruiting is going great. We have 10 players committed for this August and are still working on one or two more that can come in and help us. We are adding quality and depth to our roster and will make the guys we have coming back raise their level as well. I will keep you posted on how things end up before signing day in February."

Concerning academics, Coach O'Keefe proudly stated in his message to former players that the 2016 Mountaineers had 14 student-athletes to make the Fall Honor Roll with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. As a team, the Apps achieved an overall GPA of 3.2. O'Keefe has a sterling reputation in recruiting circles for seeking fundamentally strong players who are also highly intelligent and focused students. I predict that we'll continue to see the SoccerApps excel in the classroom.

There's a lot to like in these comments. The CASL Shootout is the top youth tournament in NC and perhaps the region, but he's looking in Florida where a lot of foreign players to go academies, so there's a good mix. He was a top recruiter as an assistant.

I was puzzled by the 2016 schedule myself and was a bit surprised it was set up that far in advance. Glad to hear there will be a better balance in 2017.

Excited to see where this team can be with good leadership!

Just a quick note. I said back a couple of months ago that, because of the transition to this format for the recruiting, that I would have a hard time catching up to all sports and would more than likely just put the links to the signees that were put up at appstatesports for this year, which I've done for a few sports. The recent 2 month outdoor adventure humping the mountains didn't help those matters. I have 8 of the 10 commits in my notes and 3 or 4 more as possibles at the time I added them. I'll try and get the 8 I am sure of up in the Lodge (two are already there) and look up the others to get the other two commits this weekend. The storm is going to cut into my time as I have to be out in it (already out) but hopefully I can have them up by Sunday.