Mangione and Awodesu get invited to the 2023 Adidas MLS College Showcase.

For the first time in program history, Penn State will have multiple players invited to the Adidas MLS College Showcase.

On Tuesday, the MLS announced that Peter Mangione and Femi Awodesu, alongside 42 other college athletes, were invited to the 2023 Adidas MLS College Showcase.

Mangione and Awodesu join Aaron Molloy, who was selected 16th overall by the Portland Timbers in the 2020 draft, as the only Nittany Lions ever invited to the Showcase.

The four-day event takes place in Phoenix, Arizona, from December 6-9 and gives the staff from all 29 MLS clubs a chance to scout the top collegiate prospects ahead of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.

The showcase features participation in training sessions, club interviews, testing and match play.

Mangione played in 67 career games for the blue and white, collecting 31 goals, 16 assists and 78 career points. The Maryland native netted 10 goals and registered four assists alongside 24 points this past season.

The senior forward is a three-time team captain, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and a three-time member of first-team All-Big Ten.

Awodesu played 65 career games for the blue and white, collecting six goals, one assist and 13 points.

The Pennsylvania native was a team captain this past season and earned the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a spot on first-team All-Big Ten.

Mangione and Awodesu will look to parlay an impressive showcase performance into hearing their names called on Dec. 19 during the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.

Ben Palillo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.