Ready for the leap: USL players MLS, European clubs need to keep tabs on

Nick Markanich, a star winger for the USL Championship’s Charleston Battery, is off to CD Castellon in Spain’s Segunda Division at the end of the 2024 season, marking a major transfer move for both the and the league. The USL has continually emphasized its role as a developmental landing spot and a player in the global transfer market, and Markanich is evidence of progress on those fronts. 

More importantly, the transfer of a young American player to Europe encouraged yet another round of “MLS teams should sign more USL players!” discourse. 

Even with Markanich off the table, the USL is still chock full of potential targets for clubs of all stripes higher up the soccer pyramid. Which players might be getting the call in the transfer windows to come? Let’s take a look at the shortlist.

MD Myers, Charleston Battery

Position: Strker

Age: 23

Charleston Battery attackers? So hot right now. Between Fidel Barajas last season and Nick Markanich this year, the Battery have become a factory for transfer-ready targets – MD Myers should be the next player through that pipeline.

A classic No. 9, Myers was the Big Ten Player of the Year at Rutgers in 2022 after scoring 13 times in less than 1,600 minutes. Turning pro with NYCFC II thereafter, Myers tied for the MLS Next Pro Golden Boot in his rookie year. He’s repeating the trick in Charleston, climbing the pyramid with aplomb for the third consecutive season. So far in 2024, the 23-year-old has 13 goals on a 35% conversion rate.

Myers is as pure as they come in front of goal, and his sense of timing and space is elite. The best scorers understand when the time is right for a quick shot, and Myers can provide it on his powerful right foot. When needed, the Battery man is equally capable of taking a touch or body feinting to find room. Myers’ prudence sets him apart, combining with prototypical size and finishing to form a very potent forward.