Going into this reading I was not aware that Appalachian State had any kind of complex history when it comes to Soccer though personally, I am not someone who goes out of my way to keep up with sports, and a lack of exposure for Appalachian Soccer is kind of the tragedy behind this reading.
It is an inspiring story to follow a soccer team which came together in a place that has very little to do with soccer. To go from the team being practically nothing to being undefeated for multiple seasons. Though the inspiration that comes from this is somewhat dissipated when even after all of this success they are still shelved in order to build up sports that had more propensity to bring in revenue from the school.
Growing up soccer was a game that I played rather regularly and though I have not bothered to keep up with the sport as I have grown it has never occurred to me that it was ever practically non-existent to such a recent point in history.
A very interesting point in this documentary is a bit of a shift in the player base present in Appalachian Soccer. The coach made an effort to only choose players from the student body of Appalachian State though it was still open to students who studied abroad via the gifting of soccer scholarships to bring them to the school to play. It is another issue of soccer being overshadowed and ignored by those who handled the finances for the school. With less soccer scholarships to offer the focus of recruitment shifted onto in-state players due to cheaper tuition being available to students.
The last thing I would like to touch on would be the affects that the coaches had on the team that formed. Vaughn Christian was the one who brought the team to prominence, his strategy inspired athleticism and a feeling of teamwork between the players that led to great success. The reason he stepped down only adds to my respect for him, as any university worker prioritizing the education of students is commendable. It seems he stepped down just in time as his successor, Hank Steinbrecher, who was no slouch of a couch even if he himself conceded he had been given a winning hand. It is just another piece of misfortune that despite the skill and success of these coaches the team still found itself struggling for support.
