The Loons acquired defender Anthony Markanich from St. Louis CITY SC via trade in August 2024. Markanich joins Minnesota United after having made 32 game appearances across all competitions with St. Louis CITY SC since the CITY side acquired the 24-year-old from the Colorado Rapids in August of 2023. The defender notably started and played all 90 minutes in the Concacaf Champions Cup leg one match of the First Round – an eventual 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo FC in February.
Markanich began his career in MLS after he was selected by the Rapids in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft 2022. He signed a contract with the Rapids and made his Major League Soccer debut on May 23, 2022 when he started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC. In total with the Rapids, he made 17 game appearances across all competitions.
Collegiately, the defender played four seasons at Northern Illinois University and was a three-time First-Team All-MAC honoree, where he made 67 appearances for the Huskies, scoring 17 goals and providing 24 assists, with his assists notably being tied for second-most in program history.
