Nicholas Markanich (born December 26, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Segunda División club CD Castellón.
[citation needed] Nick tallied 13 goals and four assists in 36 matches across all competitions, finding the back of the net in the regular season, playoffs and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
This included a four-goal performance on April 27 against Las Vegas Lights FC, in which he scored a hat trick in the first half, the first of his professional career.
[11] At the end of April, he was the top goalscorer of all the American domestic leagues, two goals ahead of Lionel Messi's nine with Inter Miami CF.
[13] Markanich scored his second hat trick of the season on August 24 against Orange County SC, bringing his total to 24 goals and one shy of the league's single-season record.
[16] On September 21, Markanich broke the USL Championship single-season scoring record with his 26th and 27th goals of the season on the same night against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
[19] Markanich also ended the year as the top goalscorer across all domestic leagues in the United States, ahead of the likes of Christian Benteke, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in MLS.
[1] In 2024, Markanich was reportedly among the diaspora players being recruited by head coach Tom Saintfiet and team manager Freddy Gonzalez to play for the Philippines.