The Charleston Battery’s Graham Smith, Aaron Molloy, and Nick Markanich earned selections to the USL Championship All-League First Team for the 2024 season, the league announced Wednesday.
The trio headline the All-League First Team for their exceptional performances in the regular season as the Battery prepare for the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.
“We are always honored as a club when our players earn individual accolades, whether voted by the league or their peers from the Player’s Association,” said Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “While there have been plenty of standout performers throughout our squad this season, these three have shown incredible consistency and high-level execution. We are thrilled for Nick, Graham and Aaron for such tremendous seasons thus far."
Starting every match of the campaign, Smith anchored one of the best defenses in the league, ranking second in the Championship with 152 clearances and 113 aerial duels won at a success rate of 75.8%, and third in the league with 1,804 passes completed. The center-back also recorded two goals, 28 blocks (team-high), 28 interceptions and 159 total duels won. It is Smith’s second All-League honor of his career.
Molloy earned his third consecutive First Team selection after ranking fourth in the Championship with 70 chances created across 27 matches. The versatile Irish midfielder was tied for fifth in the league with 50 tackles won (team-high) at a 64.1% success rate. Molloy additionally registered two goals, three assists, 49 interceptions, 164 duels won and 199 recoveries, exhibiting his abilities as the league’s premier do-it-all midfielder.
Markanich rewrote the history books en route to his first All-League nod, winning the Golden Boot with 28 goals in the regular season, which set a new single-season Championship and club record, along with five assists. Markanich ended the regular season as the top goalscorer in America across all domestic leagues. He also did stellar work defensively, ranking ninth in the league with 188 duels won (team-high) and 37 tackles won and winning possession 35 times in the attacking third, the most in the league.
The All-League awards are just honors for the trio, who helped lead the team to another record-setting year. Charleston set a new club best for most wins and points in the regular season in their USL Championship era while finishing second in the league’s overall standings, their best regular season finish since 2010.
The selections to the All-League Team mark back-to-back-to-back years with the Battery represented on the list after Fidel Barajas (2023) and Augi Williams (2022) landed spots on the roster.
Additionally, Markanich was a 10-time Team of the Week selection, five-time Player of the Week honoree and two-time Player of the Month winner, and Molloy was a four-time Team of the Week selection in 2024.
The All-League honors follow up the trio also being recognized by their peers in the 2024 USL Players Association Players’ Choice Awards. Smith, Molloy and Markanich were named by their fellow players to the USLPA Best Eleven.
The 2024 USL Championship All-League Team was voted on by club management and a league-wide media panel that included representation from every USL market.
