Position: Forward
Birthdate: 12/26/1999
Hometown: Bourbonnais, Illinois
Previous Club: FC Cincinnati
College: Northern Illinois University
Height: 6-1
Nick Markanich (Mar-CANE-ick) enters his first season with the Black and Yellow after signing ahead of the 2023 season.
Markanich, 23, began the 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 also 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 the Colorado Rapids. He is also of Filipino descent via his family.
