US EditionMLS SuperDraft: San Jose Earthquakes Trade First-Round Pick for Allocation Money
- On Dec. 18, 2025, D.C. United selected Nikola Markovic first overall in the MLS SuperDraft, The Canadian Press reported.
- The 21-year-old from Gatineau helped NC State reach the NCAA final earlier this week, starting all matches as the Wolfpack posted an NCAA-best 15 shutouts.
- Markovic's season produced national recognition and conference awards, earning first-team All‑American honours and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist status plus 2025 All‑ACC Team and ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
- As one of four underclassmen, Markovic signed a Generation Adidas contract before the draft, increasing his desirability to MLS clubs and boosting D.C. United's roster value by not counting against the salary cap.
- His development included a Canada Games gold and time in CF Montreal's academy, making him only the second Canadian taken No. 1 overall, joining Cyle Larin.
26 Articles
26 Articles
D.C. United pick NC State’s Nikola Markovic No. 1 in 2026 MLS draft
D.C. United made North Carolina State defender Nikola Markovic the No. 1 overall selection of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday. The full three-round, 90-pick draft was conducted Thursday, just three days after Washington beat Markovic’s Wolfpack 3-2 in overtime to win the College Cup men’s national championship. Markovic, a 6-foot-4 native of Quebec whose parents came from Serbia, played two seasons of college soccer at NC State and started …
Quebec's central defender Nikola Markovic was selected first in the Major League Soccer draft by D.C. United.
It's a historic day for the Quebec soccer team in MLS. For the very first time, two players from the Belle Province were picked up at the SuperDraft. That's not all: one of them was selected in the first row of this auction 2026.
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