DEKALB, Ill. – Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and
Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill/Bradley-Bourbonnais) of the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team have been invited to the 2021 adidas Major League Soccer College Showcase.
The three-day event, which will take place Dec. 10-12 in conjunction with the NCAA Men's Soccer Cup in Cary, N.C., gives technical staffs from every MLS club an opportunity to scout the top collegiate prospects in the nation. The 2021 adidas MLS College Showcase will feature 44 top college players, ranging from freshmen to graduate students, participating in a series of training sessions, testing, interviews and match play.
The Markanich twins were also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Team on Tuesday (Dec. 7),
Nick Markanich was named to the North Region First Team while
Anthony Markanich was chosen on the North Region Second Team. The pair are the first Huskies to earn All-Region honors since Kevin Rodriguez was named to the All-North Region Third Team in 2018.
Named both the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player,
Nick Markanich scored a national-leading 16 goals during the 2021 season, while also recording 37 points, third-most in the country. Among his 16 goals were seven game winners, tied for the most in the country with Belmont's A.J. Chastonay, including the MAC regular season title clinching goal against Akron on Oct. 30 and the overtime winning goal in the MAC Tournament against Georgia State (Nov. 14).
Nick Markanich's 16 goals are also tied for the third-most in a single-season in school history and he recorded a school record streak of eight consecutive matches with a goal, beginning on Sept. 4 against St. Thomas (Minn.) that continued through Oct. 2 against Western Michigan.
One of the elite left backs in college soccer,
Anthony Markanich was named to the All-MAC First Team for the third consecutive season in 2021. Anthony recorded nine assists this season, tops in the MAC and tied for 18th nationally, and was also tied for third in the conference with 19 points.
Anthony Markanich registered assists on four game-winning goals during the 2021 season, including the overtime winning goal against Georgia State in the regular season (Oct. 23), the conference regular season clinching victory over Akron (Oct. 30) and the MAC Tournament Final against Georgia State (Nov. 14). He was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the MAC Tournament.
NIU finished the 2021 season with a 15-3-2 overall record, winning the MAC "Double," regular season and tournament titles, for just the second time in program history while advancing to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
