Introducing the Lehigh Valley Spirits
Team Identity and Coaching Staff Revealed for Lehigh Valley MASL Team
May 21, 2026
Lehigh Valley, PA – A new era of professional sports has arrived in the Lehigh Valley.
The region’s newest indoor soccer team has officially unveiled its identity and coaching staff ahead of its highly anticipated inaugural season in downtown Allentown later this fall.
The Lehigh Valley Spirits will take the field at PPL Center for their inaugural season in 2026-27 as members of the top division of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), bringing fast-paced excitement and bold new hometown pride for local fans to embrace.
Designed to reflect both the energy of indoor soccer and the character of the area, the Spirits’ identity is built around a striking visual presence with meaningful ties to the Lehigh Valley community.
The club’s primary colorway features a bold orange-and-black palette, shared with its arena mates, the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, creating a unified presence at the epicenter of the Lehigh Valley in downtown Allentown.
At the center of the Spirits’ brand is a distinctive hooded figure with glowing eyes, evoking a fierce and mysterious visual style familiar to local sports fans while establishing a separate personality of its own.
The keystone shield framing the crest serves as a nod to Pennsylvania and the rich heritage of the Lehigh Valley.
Three stars at the top of the emblem represent the region’s three core cities—Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton—standing together under one banner. Sharp lettering and shadowed accents add a modern edge to the design while setting it apart from the rest of the MASL.
In addition to the club’s identity, the organization also announced the first members of the franchise’s coaching and operations staff. Giuliano Oliviero has been named Sporting Director/Technical Director, William Banahene as Assistant General Manager/Community Relations, and Jeremy Ortiz as Associate Head Coach.
Together, each staff member will be committed to making a lasting impact in the community through appearances, youth engagement, club partnerships, and various community initiatives.
Oliviero, 52, will guide the Spirits into their inaugural campaign and play a leading role in assembling the club’s first-ever roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, Oliviero brings decades of professional playing and coaching experience to Lehigh Valley. Over the course of a 24-year professional playing career,
he spent 11 seasons of indoor soccer primarily with the Milwaukee Wave (1995-97; 2003-14), helping lead the club to championships in 2005, 2011, and 2012. Internationally, he also represented Canada on the U-20 Men’s National Team in 1995.
Since retiring from on-field competition in 2014, Oliviero has built an accomplished coaching résumé to match his illustrious playing career. He served as head coach of the Wave for eight seasons from 2014-2025, where he was a three-time finalist for MASL Coach of the Year honors and guided the club to the Ron Newman Cup as league champions in 2019. His No. 21 was later retired by the Wave in recognition of his impact on the organization and the indoor game as a whole.
Most recently, Oliviero served as the inaugural head coach of Rally Madison FC in the USL W League last season and was recently inducted into the Wisconsin soccer Hall of Fame. In his role with the Spirits, Oliviero will oversee all sporting operations including player recruitment, roster construction, coaching staff management, training, and on-field performance. He will work closely with ownership on player budgets, personnel decisions, team culture, and the long-term competitive vision of the organization.
Banahene, 32, brings a strong mix of professional playing experience and community leadership to the Spirits. An eight-year veteran with the Harrisburg Heat and the Milwaukee Wave, he has built a reputation as both a dedicated professional and a passionate ambassador for the sport. During his time in Milwaukee, he represented the Wave at more than 45 community events over four seasons, building strong relationships with fans, sponsors, schools, and local organizations while earning a selection to the 2025 MASL All-Star Game in Utica, NY. Off the field, he founded AFC Rochester in 2019 and has helped grow the club to a projected 1,000+ registered players for the 2026–27 season. He also operates 10 summer soccer camps annually between Milwaukee and Rochester, serving more than 750 youth participants each year.
Banahene will support the General Manager in roster building, contracts, and day-to-day team operations as well as lead the organization’s presence in the local community.
Ortiz, 40, holds strong connections to the region from his time as an NCAA Division I student-athlete at nearby La Salle University. He enjoyed a 12-year professional career in the MASL with the Rochester Lancers and the Baltimore Blast, where he won the Ron Newman Cup as league champion in 2016. With more than 20 years of youth coaching experience throughout the Northeast, Ortiz has spent the past five years focused on the indoor game. Ortiz previously served as head coach of the Philadelphia Spartans’ MASL3 squad, guiding the club to a semifinal appearance, and most recently served as an assistant coach with MASL2 champions Harrisburg Heat this past season.
The Spirits are proud to welcome Oliviero, Banahene, and Ortiz as the club enters its first season in 2026–27.
Ahead of the upcoming MASL Expansion Draft on May 26, fans will get their first look at the foundation of the Spirits’ inaugural roster as the team begins to take shape before its debut later
this year. The Spirits will take the field for their first home game at PPL Center on December 5, 2026.
For more information and to place deposits for the upcoming inaugural season of action, visit (WEBSITE).