Position: Forward
Birthdate: 12/26/1999
Hometown: Bourbonnais, Illinois
Previous Club: FC Cincinnati
College: Northern Illinois University
Height: 6-1
Nick Markanich (Mar-KAY-nick) played two seasons with the Black and Yellow, setting numerous records and garnering several accolades from 2023 to 2024.
Markanich was crowned 2024 Championship Player of the Year, named All-League First Team and won the Golden Boot after setting a new league record with 28 goals scored in the regular season. Markanich was also the top goalscorer in America across all domestic leagues.
The forward ended 2024 with 30 goals across all competitions, setting a new Battery record for most overall goals scored in a single season, surpassing Paul Conway’s previous record of 27 goals scored in 2001.
The Northern Illinois University alumnus recorded six multi-goal games in 2024, including his astonishing four-goal haul against Las Vegas on April 27 and his sensational hat trick against Orange County on August 24. Additionally, 10 of Markanich’s 30 season goals were match-winners.
Markanich also developed a formidable, and historic, strike partnership with fellow forward MD Myers. With 42 combined goals, the teammates set a new Championship record for most goals in a single season by an attacking duo.
For his Charleston career, Markanich scored 43 goals and 10 assists in 74 matches across all competitions from 2023 to 2024. He helped Charleston win the 2023 Eastern Conference title and end as USL Championship Finalists that year.
Markanich was among the USL Championship’s top attackers in 2023. He was a five-time Team of the Week selection, the Week 15 Player of the Week and a Player of the Month nominee in June. Nick tallied 13 goals and four assists in 36 matches across all competitions, finding the back of the net in the regular season, playoffs and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Among Nick’s most memorable goals that year included match-winners in the Open Cup Third Round against Charlotte Independence and in the regular season finale against Birmingham Legion FC, and his first-time strike in the USL Championship Final. He additionally scored braces on the road against Hartford Athletic and at home against Loudoun United FC.
Nick began the 2023 preseason with the Battery on trial and immediately impressed the coaching staff. The 6-1 forward scored a brace in the friendly against Coastal Carolina University and featured in the following match against MLS side Charlotte FC.
A native of Bourbonnais, Ill., Markanich was drafted 30th overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by FC Cincinnati and was later signed by the club. He featured in 11 matches for FCC and also played with FC Cincinnati 2, scoring four goals and adding two assists in 15 games.
The forward is capable of playing in a central attacking role and out wide.
Before going pro, Markanich had a standout career at Northern Illinois University. He was the top scorer in the NCAA in 2021, with 16 goals and five assists, while earning subsequently All-America honors. Markanich was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021. A three-time first-team All-MAC honoree, he tallied 39 goals and nine assists in 69 career matches for the Huskies.
Markanich comes from a footballing family as his twin brother, Anthony, played alongside him at NIU and is currently a defender for Minnesota United FC. He is also of Filipino descent via his family.
