The Charleston Battery have reached an agreement with CD Castellón of the Segunda División (LaLiga 2) for the transfer of forward Nick Markanich to the Spanish club after the end of the 2024 USL Championship season and playoffs, the clubs announced Friday. Charleston will receive a six-figure fee for the transfer and retain a sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
The terms of the deal allow Markanich to finish his historic 2024 campaign with the Battery as the club seeks to make another run to the USL Championship Final. He will then join Castellón in the winter to begin his new European adventure.
Markanich, 24, is leading the Championship’s Golden Boot race with 24 goals, two shy of setting a new single-season league record and four shy of setting a new overall single-season Battery record (all competitions). Markanich is currently the top goalscorer across all American domestic leagues.
“Every professional player's dream is to play at the highest level possible, and Charleston have done everything to help me reach that goal,” said Markanich. “Playing in Spain will be a great opportunity and experience that I’m very excited about. I’m looking forward to this new challenge with CD Castellón.
“I’m thankful for being able to finish the season here in Charleston, it means a lot to me because they are the reason I am where I am at right now in my career. I want to win another trophy for the club and community before leaving, and I’ll do everything possible to make sure we reach our goals here.”
In the past two years, Markanich has 37 goals and 10 assists in 64 matches across all competitions.
“Nick is another example of an extremely talented player who has taken advantage of his opportunities and pushed himself to another level, garnering recognition domestically and internationally,” said Club President Lee Cohen. “While we will miss Nick and his family in 2025, we couldn’t be more satisfied knowing that we provided him a platform to pursue his dream of playing in Europe.”
Markanich has been on a tear in 2024 with a staggering conversion rate of 34.8% and has recorded five multi-goal games, including a póker (four goals) and a hat trick. His six assists across all competitions are tied for the team lead. On defense, Markanich has the most duels won (163) and second-most tackles won (34) on the team in league play.
The Northern Illinois University alumnus initially joined Charleston during the 2023 preseason as a trialist after being released by MLS side FC Cincinnati. Markanich immediately impressed coaches to earn his spot on the roster, quickly becoming an impact player and scoring in every competition the Battery played in that year (regular season, playoffs and U.S. Open Cup). He had a pivotal role in winning the 2023 Eastern Conference and scored in the Championship Final.
Since 2023, Markanich has won one Championship Player of the Month honor (April 2024), five Player of the Week awards and 14 Team of the Week selections.
Markanich adds to the growing list of recent Charleston players to take their talents to the next level, including Fidel Barajas (Real Salt Lake then Chivas), Trey Muse (Portland Timbers), Dante Polvara (Aberdeen FC) and Derek Dodson (Minnesota United FC).
