It’s been a little less than a month since Louisville City FC played its final game of the 2016 season, but the offseason has already been a busy one for Coach James O’Connor and the club’s front office as they work toward maintaining the club’s high on-field performance of the past two seasons.

“It’s a lot of work,” said O’Connor on Friday. “People think when the season finishes you can have a rest, but it ends up being the other way, you end up working even longer and even harder.”

Louisville announced on Friday that at least 11 players from this past season would return to the side in 2017, with defender Kyle Smith, midfielder Guy Abend and forward Cameron Lancaster leading the group that will be back to Slugger Field next season. The club also announced it was in negotiations with goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh and midfielder George Davis IV, both of whom played important roles in the club’s success this past season, to keep them at the club.

“Obviously I’m really pleased to get the players re-signed,” said O’Connor. “I think it was really important to get that core group back. I think when you look at the quality that we have, we were all really pleased with them last year.”

• RELATED: Louisville Announces Return of 11 Players for 2017

Now O’Connor is already on the recruiting trail to find players that will complement the group that is in place. A trip back to the United Kingdom in December will see O’Connor both on the lookout for potential talent, and also give him the chance to continue his development as a coach as he gets the chance to observe practice sessions while overseas.

Louisville is also focused on making sure the players it has returning make the most of their offseason.

“All of the guys, we sat down and we spoke to them about the offseason, the importance of keeping fit and developing your game, with different aspects to their individual needs,” said O’Connor. “We feel the guys we’ve got coming back, we’ve got a really strong group. I think if they can do the things we want in the offseason they’ll be better for it, and that will only help us going forward.”

Should Ranjitsingh return to the side, Louisville will have the foundation of a strong defense in place, with Sean Reynolds, Paco Craig and Tarek Morad all returning alongside Smith. O’Connor said he is hoping to add a left-footed left back to the squad that will provide balance for the attacking style Louisville has implemented over the past two seasons, and the side is also looking to bolster its midfield and attack.

One of the things complicating those efforts is the status of players like Aodhann Quinn, Kadeem Dacres and Andrew Lubahn, all of whom are free agents, but would be welcome returnees to Louisville’s ranks.

“We keep in touch with them and their agents and try and find out what they’re thinking,” said O’Connor. “They’re guys that are obviously looking at different options, and potential opportunities with MLS as well, maybe it’s an MLS preseason, maybe it’s a contract, maybe it’s a contract in Europe.”

With the tape sessions and trips to find the players that will replace the likes of Magnus Rasmussen, Chandler Hoffman and Enrique Montano now well underway, O’Connor is focused on ensuring another strong season for a club that has quickly established itself as one of the front-runners in the Eastern Conference.

“I think recruiting is really, really important, so for us it’s trying to make sure there are no surprises, and the guys that we get are of the right level and the right character, and fit the criteria we’re looking for,” said O’Connor. “Now it’s a case of spending many hours going through tape and trying to get some other nice pieces to add to the quality that we feel we have returning from last season.”