Nicholas Markanich is a Filipino-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 as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

Early life

Markanich was born on December 26, 1999. He grew up in

Bourbonnais, Illinois Bourbonnais ( ) is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,164 at the 2020 census. History The village is named for François Bourbonnais Sr., a fur trapper, hunter and agent of the American Fur Company, who ...

and 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 ...

. He played as part of the Chicago Fire for a period. In 2018, he matriculated to

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

, where he played for the Huskies soccer team. Over his four years at NIU, he started in 68 of his 69 appearances and scored 39 goals. While at college, Markanich played with

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

side Green Bay Voyageurs between 2019 and 2021, without the 2020 season been cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He made a total of 15 appearances, scoring five goals and tallying three assists.

Career

Markanich was selected by

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

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 ...

. He was chosen as the 2nd pick in the 2nd round of the draft, or the 30th overall pick. He was signed to a contract for the 2022 season (with options through the 2025 season) on February 21, 2022. He started in FC Cincinnati's first match of the season on February 26. Markanich was released by Cincinnati following their 2022 season. On February 16, 2023, Markanich signed with

side

following a successful trial.

Personal life

Markanich has a twin brother, Anthony Markanich, who also plays soccer. Anthony was drafted by the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

in the

References

External links

Nicholas Markanich
at FC Cincinnati
Nick Markanich
at NIU Huskies {{DEFAULTSORT:Markanich, Nick Living people 1999 births American men's soccer players American sportspeople of Filipino descent Men's association football forwards FC Cincinnati draft picks FC Cincinnati players FC Cincinnati 2 players Charleston Battery players Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players Northern Illinois Huskies men's soccer players Soccer players from Illinois USL League Two players