What makes Nick Markanich special?

Examining the USL Championship Golden Boot favorite's game on the verge of his transfer move to Spain

Nick Markanich is the man of the hour. He’s all but certain to win the USL’s Golden Ball and Golden Boot, and the success - see 24 goals and five assists in Championship play - has drawn the attention of foreign suitors. Markanich is now off to CD Castellon on a deal that’ll let him finish 2024 with the Charleston Battery.

Drafted by FC Cincinnati, Markanich put up scintillating numbers in his rookie season in MLS NEXT Pro (four goals, three assists in around 1,000 minutes) but was barely given a look for the senior side. Released after 2022, the free agent moved to the USL Championship and formed a hugely consequential union with manager Ben Pirmann at Patriots Point. The Illinois native hasn’t looked back since.

What makes a player like Markanich deserving of such a jump? It’s easy to assume that you need a complete skillset, an ability to best your opponent in a hundred different ways. For most players, that isn’t really the case. Nick Markanich is special because he understands his signature talent and has built a game around it.

Don’t get me wrong: the 24-year-old doesn’t have any big deficiencies. At the same time, it’s Markanich’s left-footed scoring - and his use that of it as a stalking horse to open up other opportunities - makes him an exhilarating star. It’s a similar arc to Milan Iloski, just on the opposite foot.

That the former MLS draftee would emerge as one of the elite goalscorers in the American game wasn’t fait accompli. Last year, Markanich often operated as a No. 10 in a resurgent Charleston Battery side that shocked the USL to make a title game appearance. Other players carried the scoring burden.

That changed in 2024. It’s a credit to Pirmann that he recognized Markanich’s balletic ability to find his left foot on the half-turn. Charleston focused on adding right-footed wingers this offseason, clearing out to maximize their #13 in an inverted right wing position.

The result? The 24-year-old had more room to show off his preternatural acceleration and deceleration as well as his wicked body feints. Markanich seldom tries to dribble toward the endline, and he isn’t one for protracted bouts of step overs. He’s ruthless when receiving on the right wing, cutting inside, and taking care of business.

As a result, the former Northern Illinois starlet’s xG production is up 70% year-over-year. Markanich is getting a handful more touches per match, but he’s finding shots on a higher percentage of those receptions. He’s also converting at a higher rate, a 35% clip at the time of writing.

Charleston isn’t an especially pressureful team in their defensive 4-2-3-1, and they aren’t a team that relies on counterattacks. Just 5% of the Battery’s expected goals have come on the fast break, the second-lowest rate in the USL. This is a team that trusts a possessive and patient style - a system that works because Markanich has the tools to unlock low-block defenses.

Part of Markanich’s growth in 2024 has come in his positioning. You see him settle in like a forward in the example above, tag-teaming with Charleston’s actual No. 9 while opening his hips between the lines to receive. He’s (1) in an elevated spot and (2) instantly ready to get onto his left foot.

More aggressive positioning also strengthens his contributions in the counterpress, one area of the game where the Battery are rather aggressive. Markanich’s takeaways have gone up (he leads all USL attackers in final third dispossessions) but it hasn’t come at the expense of a spirited tendency to track back.

That same determination at both ends was there in 2023, but it’s unmistakable this time around. Even as Markanich made 11 of his 26 regular starts on the right last year, he didn’t produce in the same way. The improvement is a testament to his growing confidence.

What does a Nick Markanich goal look like? We’ve seen more than a few left-footed finishes, of course. 19 of his 24 regular season goals this year have come from that foot. It’s Markanich’s core competency.

Above, though, you see the opportunistic movement that underpins his evolution. The sequence starts with Markanich in the right channel, missed by a cross that sails past its target. As Charleston resets, however, #13 doesn’t default to his baseline wide position. Instead, he hovers on the edge of the box while a teammates fills the right sideline.

The 24-year-old knows that the opposing center backs have an eye on MD Myers, Charleston’s proper No. 9. As such, Markanich arcs his run off of Myers’ back shoulder to confuse the zonal spacing of those defenders. When the cross comes in, the 6’1” winger is in a gap and can elevate to head it home.

Markanich has four headed goals this year after scoring just one in 2023. He’s increasingly agile in the box, matching his body control on the dribble with the sorts of acrobatic, scissored finishes only the best strikers can hope to execute.

With five assists so far, Markanich is tied for the eighth place in the USL standings. He’s already beyond the three assists from his debut campaign in South Carolina. #13’s expected assist numbers are up as well, albeit to a more modest degree.

The improvement in that category - and in terms of Markanich’s overall passing accuracy - owes to his scoring gravity. Defenses are tuned into “Nick Markanich: goalscorer” first and foremost, and his markers often close down at curved angles that try and deny the winger’s left foot. If defenders get the angles wrong, they can leave holes for through balls or open up gaps for overlappers to Markanich’s right.

As for the actual assists? It’s a mix of good fortune and a keen partnership with Myers. Assists tend to be up and down for even the best creators, and the modest increase in terms of underlying numbers is the bigger story. Notably, the Illinois native was also at 0.14 xA in his lone MLS NEXT Pro season; the level has been consistently high.

Markanich has limitations as a passer. His right-footed crosses tend to be somewhat meek, and he’s best served getting to the endline and cutting the ball back rather than trying to curl in something more ambitious. You get a sense for that - as well as the winger’s strengths - below.

Indeed, the 24-year-old is increasingly good at faking out overcommitted defenders, left-footing softer grounded passes across his body to diagonal runners moving from left to right. Markanich understands his creative range, and he’s rarely wasteful because of it.

#13 is dribbling less this year, and he’s doing so less successfully to boot. Markanich - whose twin brother Anthony is a full back for Minnesota United in MLS - is attempting 2.5 dribbles per match in 2024, down 20% year-over-year. His success rate on those attempts is 35%, a 15% drop.

Some of the change is positional; it made more sense to take opponents on as a left winger or No. 10 last year, when Markanich could open himself up for a left-footed cross. You don’t want him dallying on the ball as much in the new deployment; he’s also getting more touches in the box, where a quick-twitch shot is the better choice. The numbers hint at a limitation but highlight Markanich’s equal ability to minimize its impact.

Nick Markanich knows how he can change a game, and Pirmann’s Battery are designed to showcase his skills without sacrificing a broader philosophical identity. Markanich isn’t a selfish star. He never glowers or sulks if he doesn’t get a touch. Markanich keeps moving until he’s at an advantage anew. It’s that mix of finishing skill, adaptability, and confidence that recommends the 24-year-old as a can’t-miss candidate for a European move.

Cover photo credit: Charleston Battery