FC Cincinnati 2’s Peter Magione has been impressive in his first professional season, from playing as a striker up top to now being used as a number ten. His journey from Maryland to Penn State is one for the record books.
Magione attended Dulaney High School in Timonium, Maryland, and he grew up playing for Baltimore Celtic in the U.S. Youth Soccer Academy. He also played club soccer for Baltimore Armour for three seasons, winning three state cups, three regional championships, two national league titles and one national championship in his club career with the Armour.
He also spent one season with Orlando City in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, helping the team win a USDA conference championship title in the 2018-19 season.
After his youth club career ended, Mangione signed to play collegiate soccer at Penn State in the Big Ten Conference.
During his freshman season with the Nittany Lions, Magione scored six goals and recorded six assists, playing in 11 games and starting 10 as a center-forward. At the end of the season, he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
In his sophomore season, he started all but one match for Penn State, scoring seven goals and four assists. Magione also served as vice-captain for the team in just his second season. He registered a hat trick against Villanova, which was the first hat trick by a Nittany Lion since 2010. He also earned All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Tournament Team.
During Magione’s junior season with Penn State, he started all 16 games scored eight goals, and tallied two assists. He was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the second straight season. Magione also received national recognition as he was named to the Herman Trophy Watch List.
In his senior season, his final year with Penn State in 2023, Magione was awarded the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his collegiate career. He played 19 games and scored 10 goals on the year, along with four assists, which was also a career-high. Magione played a total of 1,627 minutes and ranked third in the nation in game-winning goals.
After four years with the Nittany Lions, Magione appeared in 67 games for Penn State, scoring 31 goals and 16 assists. He is ranked 13th all-time in program history in goals scored.
Earlier this year, on February 27th, Magione joined the Orange and Blue, signing with FC Cincinnati 2, beginning his professional career. So far this season, he has started every game for FCC 2 and has two goals and two assists in his debut season.
A young versatile forward with a lot of potential, Magione should have a bright future with FC Cincinnati 2, with hopes of making an impact for the first team in the future.