Spirits Sign Forward Francesco Pagano

Former NCAA National Champion and Second-Year Pro Brings Offensive Upside to Lehigh Valley

Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Spirits have signed free agent forward Francesco Pagano ahead of the club's inaugural MASL season.

Pagano, 23, arrives in Lehigh Valley following a strong rookie campaign with Utica City FC in 2025-26. Last season, the Manlius, New York native appeared in 11 MASL contests, recording four goals and three assists while establishing himself as a promising young attacking option.

One of Pagano’s strongest performances came on March 15, when he registered the first multi point game of his career with two goals and an assist, including the game-winning tally in an 8-4 victory over Tacoma.

Prior to joining Utica City FC in February, Pagano excelled with the club's MASL 2 affiliate, United Elite Krajisnik Football Club. In a brief but impactful stint with United Elite, he quickly emerged as one of MASL 2’s top offensive performers, leading the league in points per game (6.0), finishing fifth in both goals (18) and points (24), and earning First Team All-Star recognition.

Pagano developed through a decorated collegiate career that included stops at Syracuse University, Coastal Carolina University, and Le Moyne College. As a reserve attacker at Syracuse, he helped the Orange capture both the 2022 NCAA National Championship and ACC Championship as a sophomore.

He concluded his collegiate career at Le Moyne as a graduate student in 2025, where he was named to the All-Northeast Conference First Team after leading the Dolphins with 13 points (6G, 1A) in 17 games.

Before college, Pagano established himself as one of New York's premier high school players. He was a two-time All-American, two-time All-State First Team selection, two-time All-Region honoree, and the 2019 Central New York Player of the Year. As a senior, he totaled 45 goals and 17 assists en route to being named the 2020 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year.

For more information, visit LVSpirits.com.