With 27 goals in the USL Championship this season, the Charleston Battery's Nick Markanich is the leading goalscorer in American domestic soccer this season. | Photo courtesy Michael Wiser / Charleston Battery
The first United States Men’s National Team roster selected by new Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino is set to be announced this week ahead of the side’s exhibitions against Panama (Oct. 12) and Mexico (Oct. 15).
That got me thinking – why not call up the Charleston Battery’s Nick Markanich?
No, stop, where are you going? I’m serious.
Here are four reasons why this is the perfect time to give the leading goalscorer in American domestic soccer his chance.
1. RIDE THE MAN IN FORM
Markanich became the single-season record holder for goals in the USL Championship thanks to extended runs of form. He started the season with 12 goals in his first 10 games and has scored 15 goals in the past 14 games to break the Championship’s single-season record with 27 tallies and counting. No, it hasn’t come against top-flight opposition, but with a chance to experiment against regional opposition in a pair of exhibitions, taking a chance to call up a player whose made the most of his opportunities for the past six months isn’t that far-fetched a call to make to see if he fits in.
2. SECOND-DIVISION PEDIGREE
No, we’re not talking about the USL Championship here. We’re talking about LaLiga 2, where Markanich is heading this winter with CD Castellón. They believe the 24-year-old can compete at that level. The second tier in Spain is easily the equal of the second tier in England, and the U.S. calls up players like Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Brenden Aaronson from the EFL Championship regularly. Why not someone who’s headed to the same level of competition?
3. LATE BLOOMERS UNITE
Progression in anything is rarely linear, and where Markanich is concerned it’s instructive to remember that. He’s never represented the United States at any youth level, and it took his third year in the pro ranks to break out. You know who that sounds like? How about Matt Turner, who played two seasons on loan in the USL Championship after competing in college and USL League Two before his breakout campaign with the New England Revolution. Turner didn’t make his USMNT debut until he was 26. We’ve seen late-bloomer stories before, both in the U.S. and overseas. Markanich fits the profile as America’s potential Jamie Vardy.
4. ALL-AROUND GAME
Forget about the goals for a minute – what do we know about how Mauricio Pochettino has wanted his sides to play? Hard-charging, high pressing intensity, right? Well, how about Markanich’s defensive numbers? Among forwards this season in the USL Championship, he leads all forwards in tackles won (37), possession won in the final third (27) and recoveries (134), ranks second in duels won (177) and is sixth in interceptions (20). That ticks the boxes for a player who fits the system the new boss wants to employ.