Canadians Nikola Markovic, Marcus Caldeira among 15 semifinalists for Hermann Trophy

Canadian defender Nikola Markovic and forward Marcus Caldeira are among the 15 semifinalists for the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy, which goes to the top U.S. college soccer player.

The 15 come from a midseason watch list of 31 players, that also included University of Portland forward David Ajagbe, a native of Surrey, B.C.

Three finalists will be announced Dec. 17 after voting by NCAA Division I coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. The winner will be revealed Jan. 9 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

Markovic, a six-foot-four 205-pound sophomore from Gatineau, Que., was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, also earning All-Conference and All-Region honours.

Markovic won gold with Quebec at the 2022 Canada Games and joined the CF Montreal academy at 18, spending a year and a half there.

Wolfpack forward Donovan Phillip, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, was also named a Hermann semifinalist.

The two have helped North Carolina State to the NCAA College Cup for the first time since 1990 and just the second time in program history. The No. 15 Wolfpack, the highest-seeded team remaining in the tournament, take on Saint Louis in semifinal play Friday in Cary, N.C.

Caldeira was named both the Sun Belt’s Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, also making the All-Sun Belt first team. The six-foot-two 193-pound senior from Mississauga, Ont., has 42 goals and 15 assists in 84 appearances over four seasons with the Mountaineers.

He scored a career-high 14 goals as a senior and his 42 career goals rank third in West Virginia history.

Ohio State’s Michael Adedokun won the Hermann Trophy last year while North Carolina’s Kate Faasse was named top women’s player.

Edmonton’s Gloire Amanda, a Tanzanian-born forward, won the men’s award in 2020.

Amanda, a five-foot-10 170-pounder, spent time in the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program prior to attending Oregon State. Growing up, he played for Edmonton Xtreme FC, Edmonton Internazionale and FC Edmonton’s reserve side.

Amanda now plays in Australia for Sydney Olympic FC.

Akron’s Teal Bunbury won the award in 2009. The son of former Canadian international Alex Bunbury, Teal has lived in the United States since he was 10 and represents the U.S. internationally.

Canadians Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia, 2016) and Christine Sinclair (Portland, 2004 and ’05) have won the women’s award.

Hermann Trophy Men’s Semifinalists

Richie Aman, forward, Washington; Palmer Ault, forward, Indiana; Mitchell Baker (Australia), forward, Georgetown; Marcus Caldeira (Mississauga, Ont.), forward, West Virginia; Junior Diouf (Senegal), forward, Grand Canyon; Ransford Gyan, (Ghana), midfielder, Clemson; Niklas Herceg (Germany), goalkeeper, Vermont; Diego Hernandez, midfielder, Furman; Lasse Kelp (Germany), defender, Maryland; Nikola Markovic (Gatineau, Que.), defender, North Carolina State; Donovan Phillip (St. Lucia), forward, North Carolina State; Agustin Resch (Argentina), defender, Seton Hall; Nick Simmonds, forward, Virginia; Slade Starnes, defender, SMU; Zach Zengue, midfielder, Georgetown.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2025.