Position: Defender
Birthdate: 7/6/2001
Hometown: London, England
Previous Club: Portland Hearts of Pine
College: Providence College; College of William & Mary
Height: 5-11
Nathan Messer enters his first season with the Battery after joining via permanent transfer from USL League One’s Portland Hearts of Pine in February 2026.
Messer, 24, was a Defender of the Year finalist and an All-League First Team selection for Portland in 2025. The left-back now makes the jump back to the Championship after a breakout season in Maine.
During 2025, Messer was one of the top two-way performers for the first-year Hearts of Pine. Across 32 matches in the regular season and playoffs, Messer tallied six goals, four assists and 44 chances created, along with recording 132 clearances, 150 duels won and 29 interceptions. Messer ranked third among full-backs in the league with a +5.31 Goals Added mark.
In addition to helping lead Portland to the USL League One Playoffs Semifinals, Messer had key performances in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Messer scored one goal in the tournament and also converted during the penalty shootout to upset Hartford Athletic in the Second Round.
Prior to Portland, Messer turned pro with Rhode Island FC in 2024. He featured in four matches across all competitions in his rookie season, scoring one goal.
Born in London, England, before growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, Messer played collegiately at the College of William & Mary (2019-22) and Providence College (2023), where he converted from the front line to the back line. In between seasons, Messer spent time domestically with USL League Two sides Northern Virginia FC and Vermont Green FC, and internationally with German fifth-division side TSV Meerbusch and Slovenian second-division club ND Primorje.
Messer holds citizenship in the U.S., France and Germany via his parents, and is multilingual in English, French, and German.
