Mangione Cousin to Play Pro Soccer Near Federal Lockup

A promising midfielder is headed to Brooklyn's new pro soccer team, and his arrival comes with an unusual family backdrop. Brooklyn FC has signed 24-year-old Peter Mangione to its first USL Championship roster, the club announced, pending league and federation approval. A Hunt Valley, Maryland, native and former Penn State standout, Mangione will be playing just a few miles from the federal jail where his cousin, 27-year-old Luigi Mangione, is awaiting trial in the 2024 shooting death of healthcare executive Brian Thompson, People reports.

Luigi has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges, as well as forgery counts in Pennsylvania, and is expected to face trial later this year. On the field, Peter brings a solid college and lower-league résumé. At Penn State, he scored 31 goals and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2023, the New York Daily News reports. He most recently played for FC Cincinnati's reserve team, FC Cincinnati 2, logging 28 appearances with two goals and five assists over 2,218 minutes.

Brooklyn FC said in its announcement that Mangione offers a "balanced midfield profile," praising his work rate and his ability to contribute in attacking areas. Brooklyn FC will debut in the USL Championship on March 8 at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, where Peter will begin his professional career in the same borough as his cousin's high-profile legal battle. Luigi is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center just north of Coney Island, the same federal lockup that previously housed Sean "Diddy" Combs before his transfer to a New Jersey facility. Current MDC inmates include ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine.