Team

The Hounds announced Pifeleti’s signing on November 1, 2024. The veteran loosehead prop adds seven years of experience and 72 MLR caps to the Hounds’ clubhouse.

The loosehead prop battled injuries throughout the 2024 season, appearing in just five contests while making three starts. However, Pifeleti enjoyed one of his best seasons to date in 2023, finishing the year with an All-Pro honorable mention nod.

Pifeleti started 13 of his 15 appearances and helped lead San Diego to a 15-1 record, culminating in a Western Conference title. He scored 15 points via three tries and beat seven defenders on 48 ball carries. On defense, he completed 96 of his 125 tackle attempts; nine of them were deemed as dominant tackles (tackled behind the gain line).

Pifeleti’s MLR career began with the San Diego Legion during the league’s inaugural season in 2018. The prop spent four seasons in southern California before signing with the Austin Gilgronis prior to 2022. After one year in Texas, Pifeleti returned to San Diego, where he spent the last two seasons.

Over the course of his MLR career, Pifeleti earned 72 caps and started 49 games, logging 3,156 minutes in total. He scored eight tries, including a seven-pointer, and carried the ball 265 times, gaining 1,113 meters (4.2 meters-per-carry). The prop completed 419 of his 503 tackle attempts on defense, including 35 dominant tackles. He was the 17th player in the history of MLR to reach 50 caps.

Born in California, Faka’Osi and his family moved to the United Kingdom, where he attended Oaklands College Hertfordshire. He matriculated throughout the Saracens’ academy growing up with his brother, Kapeli.