Anthony Charles Markanich Jr. (born December 26, 1999) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

club

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...

Career

Youth

Markanich attended

Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School is a comprehensive public four-year high school located in Bradley, Illinois. It is the only school in District 307. As of 2020 the school has an enrollment of 2,026 students. Bradley Bourbonnais offers a v ...

, where he scored 40 goals and had 14 assists as a senior in 2017, helping the Boilermakers to a third-place finish in the Illinois 3A State Tournament while earning all-state honors. Markanich also played club soccer for Chicago Fire between 2015 and 2016, making 24 appearances. He later played with Olympiacos Chicago, who won the US Club Soccer 2018 U19 Super Group National Championship.

College and amateur

Markanich attended Northern Illinois University to play college soccer. In four seasons with the Huskies, Markanich made 67 appearances, scoring 17 goals and tallying 24 assists. He was a three-time first-team all- Mid-American Conference (MAC) honoree and a four-time All-MAC honoree. His 24 career assists are tied for second all-time in program history while his 58 total points were ninth best in NIU history. While at college, Markanich played with USL League Two side Green Bay Voyageurs between 2019 and 2021, without the 2020 season been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, he made twelve appearances, scoring three goals and tallying three assists.

Professional

On January 11, 2022, Markanich was drafted 26th overall in the

2022 MLS SuperDraft The 2022 MLS SuperDraft was the 23rd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season and has been conducted via conference calls since 2020. Previously, the Su ...

by Colorado Rapids. He signed a one-year deal with the Rapids on March 3, 2022. He made his first-team debut on May 22, 2022, starting in a 1–0 win over

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

. On August 1, 2023, Markanich was traded to

St. Louis City SC St. Louis City SC (stylized as St. Louis CITY SC) is an American professional men's soccer club based in St. Louis, Missouri. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference and will join in 2023 as an expans ...

in exchange for $75,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money and St. Louis' 2024 1st round MLS SuperDraft pick with an additional $75,000 in 2024 if conditional incentives are reached. Markanich was traded to

on August 15, 2024 in exchange for $50,000 in 2024 General Allocation Money, with another $100,000 in General Allocation Money depending on meeting certain performance related requirements.

International career

Philippines

In March 2024, Markanich was reportedly one of the players being recruited by head coach

Tom Saintfiet Tom Saintfiet (born 29 March 1973) is a Belgian football coach and former player. He was appointed as manager of the Gambian national team in July 2018. Coaching career Saintfiet has coached in several countries, including Belgium, Qatar, Germ ...

and team manager Freddy Gonzalez to play for the Philippines.

Personal life

Markanich has a twin brother,

Nick Markanich Nicholas Markanich is a Filipino-American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for USL Championship club Charleston Battery. Early life Markanich was born on December 26, 1999. He grew up in Bourbonnais, Illinois and attended Brad ...

, who also plays professional soccer, most recently playing with Charleston Battery.

References

External links

Anthony Markanich
MLS profile
Anthony Markanich
at NIU Huskies {{DEFAULTSORT:Markanich, Anthony Living people 1999 births American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Northern Illinois Huskies men's soccer players Colorado Rapids players Colorado Rapids draft picks Colorado Rapids 2 players Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players Soccer players from Illinois USL League Two players American sportspeople of Filipino descent St. Louis City SC players Minnesota United FC players