Another player has been added to the Lobos in the Pros list.
Forward Niko Hansen was selected as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft on Friday afternoon.
He was picked up by Columbus Crew SC, but had already signed an early guaranteed MLS contract, a type of contract signed by only 10 college seniors.
After his selection, Hansen was asked by Alex Stec, a Columbus Crew SC brand journalist, what his reaction had been when he first heard his name called.
“I couldn’t believe it at first,” said a teary-eyed Hansen. “Not that I had expectations of where I’d go, but I was just shocked when I heard ‘University of New Mexico’ and then waited for my name. So grateful to everyone, and especially Columbus Crew SC for picking me.”
Both Hansen and midfielder Chris Wehan took part in the 2017 MLS Combine in Los Angeles, along with 51 other collegiate players selected from across the nation.
The players got a chance to perform in front of representatives from all 22 of the MLS clubs.
Hansen didn’t waste the opportunity.
The 5’10” player from Sacramento, California showed a lot of potential throughout the combine, which took place last week.
Hansen finished in the top 10 for both the 30-meter dash speed test and the vertical jump power test. He also showed off his finishing abilities when he scored for his combine team, Tango, on Jan 10.
He went one-on-one with a defender and was able to beat him in the left corner of the box, burying the ball into the low right corner of the net.
This is the type of stuff Hansen showed throughout his career at UNM. Wearing the No. 11 Jersey, Hansen finished the 2016 fall season with 13 goals, tied for 11th in the nation.
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He had a total of 28 goals as a Lobo. The only player in his class who beat that number was Wehan, who finished with 31 goals.
Goal-scoring prowess is not the only thing the players have in common. Both said the best part of being a Lobo was the connections they made.
“Besides going to the Final Four, I think it’s kind of the stuff off the field,” Hansen said in an interview in November. “Being with the guys for the last four years...creating that friendship will be the moment I will remember forever. Soccer-wise, definitely the Final Four and the fact that we got everybody to go that year. That was really special.”
Wehan will have a chance to be selected during the third and fourth rounds of the SuperDraft, which will take place on Tuesday via conference call.
Some former Lobos who have joined the MLS recently include the Seattle Sounders’ Oniel Fisher and the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ben McKendry. Both signed contracts in 2015.
Fisher, a 25-year-old defender, has seen a significant amount of minutes with Seattle. The Portmore, Jamaica native was named to his home country’s 40-man provisional roster for Copa America Centenario in 2016.
McKendry, a 23-year-old central midfielder, made two Champions League appearances in 2016. He was recently added to the roster for the Canadian men’s national team January training camp.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
