Before becoming the Spokane Velocity FC’s first-ever head coach, Leigh Veidman served as assistant coach with the Charleston Battery during the team’s run to the USL Championship League Final. Originally from Liverpool, England, Veidman came to the United States in 2008 to play soccer at Iowa Western Community College, where he twice won All-Conference honors, was named an All-American in 2010, and set records for career goals (41) and career points (91).

Renato Bustamante has had several years of success as a collegiate coach. In 2021 he led the College of the Sequoias to its first-ever Central Valley Conference championship and was named conference Coach of the Year. In 2023 Bustamante became an assistant coach at Westmont College and helped the men’s team become the NCAA 2023 National Champion.  As a player at Fresno Pacific University, he was the PacWest Conference Player of the Year and an All-American in 2013.

Josh McAllister has worked at every level of soccer including US Youth Soccer, Division 1 Men’s, MLS Academy, USL, MLS, and the NWSL. This includes positions as Performance Coach for Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United FC, Portland Timbers, and OL Reign. Josh has been a part of teams that won numerous trophies including the US Open Cup, USL Western Conference Championship, and the NWSL Shield (best regular season record). 

Vito Higgins is a former Gonzaga Bulldog goalkeeper, where he holds the second-best record in career shutouts (14) in school history, who played professionally for the LA Galaxy of MLS before moving into coaching. Since 2013, he has coached teams from Olympic youth development squads to collegiate programs, including Gonzaga, North Idaho College, and Pima Community College. He most recently was Director of Goalkeeping with FC Tucson. 

Over the past 10 years, Dustin Cleaver has worked with renowned soccer organizations including the LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, Sacramento Republic FC, and most recently, Oakland Roots FC. His professional journey in soccer has been diverse, from early days in player development to roles with various MLS and USL organizations.

Gareth Smith has 20-plus years of experience in technical department leadership, sports science leadership, coaching education, and coaching ranging from senior national teams and Major League Soccer (MLS) to NCAA Division I and youth soccer. Gareth’s coaching and coach education experience includes roles as Technical Leader and Coach Educator for the U.S. Soccer Federation; Assistant Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Association; Technical Director for Iowa Soccer; and Assistant and Head Coach for the Drake University Men’s Team. Gareth holds the UEFA ‘A,’ U.S. Soccer ‘A,’ National Youth, National Goalkeeper, and Scottish F.A. Children’s licenses.