Charleston Battery's Nick Markanich, USL record goalscorer, bet on himself to earn his dream European move

First, the numbers. In 29 games, Markanich has scored 25 goals. And there’s an admirable variety to them all. Most have come with his stronger left foot. Five have come from the penalty spot. There have been a few headers thrown in, too. But there are some similarities. Markanich doesn't really operate outside the box. Nominally, he’s a right winger, but in the Battery’s fluid system, he constantly makes a beeline for the goal. He doesn’t often dribble, or beat a man.

Instead, he finds gaps, exploits spaces, times his runs, and is deadly when the ball falls to him in the right areas. Traditional No. 9s don’t really exist anymore. Markanich is a modern interpretation of one.

“I’m just taking advantage of those opportunities in games, making the most of my chances in front of the net, getting in the right spots,” Markanich said.

Things could all be so different this year, though. Charleston was close to USL glory last year, losing on penalties in the final (Markanich scored the opening goal in regulation time.) At that point, following a season in which he had found the net 11 times, he could have moved on.

He had flirted with MLS before, making nine appearances for Cincinnati after being selected 30th overall in the 2022 SuperDraft. And few would have blamed him had he taken one of a number of MLS offers floated before him. Eleven goals was a healthy return - sufficient to give him a second shot at the big time.

Instead, he opted to stay. His twin brother served as something of an impetus. Anthony, then a left back for St. Louis CITY SC, had been a regular training partner for Nick throughout the forward’s career. They shared the pitch at Northern Illinois University, and played for separate teams for the first time ever when they both went pro.

Still, every offseason they train together. And it was invaluable for Nick’s improvement this campaign.

“We have a really special connection,” Nick said. “We work together, him working on crossing, I work on finishing crosses… some 1v1s, too.”

Those marginal gains made the difference. Markanich became more clinical, more opportunistic. Last season, 33 percent of his shots were on target. This year, that number is up to 49 percent. It has amounted to a player who went from a respectable 0.44 goals and assists per 90 minutes to league-best 1.12.

The goals started the first week of the season, and had never really stopped. His only dry spell came in May, when Markanich went six games without scoring. He responded by finding the net seven times in his next five. On Sept. 7, he tied the record set by Cameron Lancaster in 2018 and matched by Hadji Barry in 2021, scoring his 25th goal of the campaign in a 2-1 win over Sacramento Republic.

Markanich was aware of a possible transfer at the start of the summer. There was a sense, for some time, that MLS clubs were sniffing around, he said. But the idea of a European move didn’t crop up until late July.

Spanish side CD Castellon were the interested party. The Valencia-based club had just earned promotion to the second division, and needed firepower for their first campaign in the league since 2020-21.

“It all started picking up like crazy. But they seemed really invested in me, and really wanted me to go, which made the decision easier,” Markanich said.

The talent helped, but the club also valued the fact that Markanich made it clear that he wanted to stay until the end of the USL season and compete for a championship. It showed a team-first mentality, which added to the striker’s appeal.

“He shows loyalty to his team and wanting to accomplish the goal of winning the title in USL before making the move to CD Castellon later this year. This type of loyalty is appreciated and sought after by our club,” the Spanish side said in a statement.

Markanich has never been to Valencia. He doesn’t speak much Spanish, either. But his agent, as well as USL officials, initiated negotiations all the same. And by the time it became clear that Markanich wanted the move, league officials went to work.

Oliver Wyss, USL head of global football development & sporting director, played a key role. He was in Valencia speaking to clubs about a number of USL talents. But when Markanich was brought up, his remit was clear: Maximize the value of the transfer.

“In the global game, player transfers, and looking at players as assets is very important," Wyss said. "And I think it’s very clear that our owners are embracing that."

The exact fee is undisclosed, but the structure of the deal is well known. Wyss ensured that Charleston got a handsome up-front payment. More importantly, though, they negotiated a sell-on clause into the agreement - allowing the USL club to profit off Markanich’s future movements.

“Sell-ons and transfers are going to be a major part of our business model. It's great that our clubs are embracing that,” Wyss said.

For Markanich, the financials are largely unimportant. That’s for his agent and the club to figure out, he said. His focus is on settling in, and finding a rhythm in a foreign country. There are some perks to be found already; CD Castellon have a number of Americans, including goalkeeper Brian Schwake, in the setup.

Most important, though, the club was able to accommodate the movement of the forward’s two pit bulls, Blue and Lola.

“They’re family, so I gotta take them with me,” Markanich said.

And perhaps that’s all Markanich will need. He broke the record on Saturday night - a fine left footed volley guided into the bottom corner. It was the kind of goal he has scored countless times this season.

Of course, he added a second, just for good measure. That one was also of note, tying the franchise-record 27 set by Paul Conway all the way back in 2001.

Ultimately, Markanich deserves it. After all, he could have left, and decided to stick around and it paid off with a move abroad. Ultimately, there will be more players that do.

New goalscorers might come, an American-born-USL-developed contingent could continue to grow in Europe. Markanich, goals and all, has set the tone. Others are soon to be recognized.

“The player deserves the move," Wyss said. "The club deserves the transfer, and I hope we will have many more of these."