Green Bay USL League Two Announces First Player in Team History
Monday, February 4, Ashwaubenon, WI– Green Bay USL League Two has added an exceptional talent and 2018 Freshman of the Year in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to their roster for the inaugural 2019 season.
Nick Markanich, a 6-foot-1 forward from Northern Illinois University is set to be a key offensive contributor to Green Bay’s roster this summer. Markanich’s extraordinary freshman season saw him appear in 18 games, starting 17 for the Huskies. Throughout the season, he served as the team’s top offensive weapon, scoring a team high 8 goals, including the game winner in the Huskies’ season opener against Cincinnati.
Head coach Brian Kamler is happy to have Markanich on the roster and had the following to say: “We are looking forward to having Nick here this summer after his successful first year NIU. He is a dynamic player who can create his own chances as well as facilitate chances for his teammates.”
A native of Bourbonnais, Illinois, Markanich had a phenomenal high school and prep career. He played for Bradley-Bourbonnais High School where he scored 52 goals and had 9 assists as a senior in 2017. This effort helped the Boilermakers to a third-place finish in the Illinois 3A State Tournament while also earning him all-state honors. In 2016, Markanich helped Bradley-Bourbonnais to a third-place state finish, scoring 44 goals with 7 assists to earn all-state honors. On the club side, he spent time with Chicago Fire Academy and won the US Club Soccer U19 Super Group National Championship with Olympiacos Chicago in 2018.
“I’m super excited and anxious to play in Green Bay this summer. I can’t wait to get started,” Markanich said.
Green Bay USL League Two will open regular season play in the newly formed USL League Two this summer. The first home game for Green Bay will be May 31st at 7:00 against Canadian side WSA Winnipeg at brand-new Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.
This Saturday at 3:30pm Green Bay USL League Two will announce its name, logo and colors at Green Bay Distillery. All community members are invited to attend and celebrate the team’s new identity.
Group and season ticket packages to Green Bay USL League two matches are currently on sale. If interested in a group outing or season ticket package please call 920-497-7225 or email Dannon@booyahbaseball.com.
About Green Bay USL League Two: Green Bay is a member of USL League Two and will begin play in May 2019 in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference. The team name, colors and crest are being developed with input from the public to build a team that truly represents the community. The team will play its home games at the new Capital Credit Union Park. The multi-purpose stadium opens in May at 2231 Holmgren Way, less than a mile from historic Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. It is very accessible throughout Northeastern Wisconsin, less than 30 minutes from the youth soccer hotbed of Appleton, WI and 15 minutes from the ten-field Akzo-Nobel Soccer Complex in Howard, WI. Information about Capital Credit Union Park can be found here.
About USL League Two: USL League Two is a pre-professional league affiliated with USL Championship, USL League One and Major League Soccer (MLS). Expected opponents in the Heartland Division include WSA Winnipeg, Thunder Bay Chill, Kaw Valley FC, Des Moines Menace and St. Louis Lions. The proven developmental leader in North American soccer’s evolving tiered structure, USL League Two (formerly the PDL) features more than 70 franchises in four conferences throughout the United States and Canada, including 18 clubs that are owned and operated by a professional club, or that hold a partnership with a professional club. League Two has proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world, with more than 70 percent of all selections in the MLS SuperDraft since 2010 having PDL experience, including over 80 percent of selections in the 2019 SuperDraft.