Niko Hansen

BIOGRAPHY

Nikolaj Hansen was born on September 14, 1994 in Randers, Denmark.  He is a winger in Major League Soccer.

Hansen grew up in Oksbøl before moving to the United States at the age of 10. His family settled in Sacramento, California, where he attended Jesuit High School. As a senior, he scored 35 goals for the Marauders and was named as an NSCAA High School All-American. Hansen was also selected to take part in the NSCAA High School All-American Game. Hansen played club soccer with Davis Legacy and with Placer United during his time in California. He committed to play college soccer for coach Jeremy Fishbein and the New Mexico Lobos.

On February 6, 2013, Hansen was officially confirmed as part of the New Mexico roster. He made his collegiate debut on August 31st, starting and scoring two goals as part of a 7–2 victory over Villanova. Hansen also scored on his Conference USA (C-USA) debut, tallying a goal in a 3–1 victory over Marshall, and notched an assist in his NCAA Tournament debut against George Mason. Finishing the season with seven goals and five assists in 22 appearances, he was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team. As a sophomore, Hansen appeared 18 times and scored five goals. In one mid-season stretch, he scored three match-winning goals in four games: against Virginia Commonwealth, West Virginia, and Florida International. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-CUSA Third Team.

Ahead of his junior season, Hansen was called up to the United States U23 national team, taking part in a college identification training camp ahead of the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship. He stepped straight back into form after returning to New Mexico, scoring goals in back-to-back matches against Missouri State and American in September. He scored just one more time on the season, but was named Second Team All-CUSA, with a total of three goals and three assists from 18 appearances. As a senior, Hansen appeared 21 times while leading the Lobos to their first C-USA tournament title since joining the conference four years prior. On September 17th, he scored his first career hat trick in a 3–1 victory over UC Irvine. Hansen tallied a career-high 13 goals during the year, earned a spot on the C-USA All-Tournament Team, and was named to the All-CUSA First Team. He finished his collegiate career with 28 goals in 79 appearances.

Following his freshman season at New Mexico, Hansen played for Seattle Sounders FC U-23 in the Premier Development League.[2 He made his debut for the club on May 16th in a season-opening defeat against Lane United. Two weeks later, Hansen added his first Sounders FC U-23 goal, a 54th-minute tally in a 3–0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23. After tacking on another goal in mid-June, Hansen finished the campaign with two goals and an assist in his lone season with Seattle.

Columbus Crew SC selected Hansen with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. Because he had already signed a league-guaranteed contract before the draft, Hansen was automatically added to the Columbus roster without having to negotiate a contract with the club. Hansen made his club and professional debut on March 25th against Portland Timbers, replacing Justin Meram in the 60th minute of a tied match. He would go on to provide Crew SC with a 3–2 victory, scoring the game-winning goal in the 84th minute. After finishing the season with one goal in 16 appearances, Hansen had his contract option picked up by the club.

Hansen was expected to challenge for a starting spot at the beginning of the 2018 season following the departure of Justin Meram, but suffered a pulled hamstring during preseason camp. For a second consecutive season, Hansen scored in a knockout round penalty shootout, this time helping Columbus advance over D.C. United by a 3–2 result. After appearing 24 times and scoring three goals, Hansen again had his contract option picked up by the club.

Following the 2018 season, Hansen had surgery on his ankle; during the 2019 preseason, he suffered two setbacks, tearing scar tissue in the same ankle then suffering a torn hamstring in his preseason debut. He returned to full health after missing five league matches, appearing off the bench on April 6th against New England Revolution. Hansen struggled to earn a spot in the rotation under new head coach Caleb Porter, appearing in just nine matches in Columbus under Porter. Hansen was traded to Houston in early August, ending his time in Columbus with four goals from 49 appearances in all competitions.

On August 8, 2019, Hansen was traded to Houston Dynamo in exchange for $75,000 in targeted allocation money. He made his debut for the Dynamo three days later, entering as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat against Philadelphia Union, and went on to make four appearances during his first season in Houston. Following the campaign, the Dynamo picked up the option on Hansen's contract. At the beginning of the 2020 season, Hansen made one substitute appearance before the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He played just one time in the MLS is Back Tournament, but became a regular part of the rotation once the regular season resumed, appearing in all but three games the rest of the way. Hansen scored his first Dynamo goal on August 25th and added an assist as part of a 5–2 victory against Sporting Kansas City. After scoring in October against Minnesota United, he finished the season with two goals from 17 appearances. His contract expired following the season, but Hansen was extended a contract offer and was protected by the Dynamo ahead of the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft. He opted out of the 2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

After failing to reach an agreement with the Dynamo on a new deal, Hansen was traded to Minnesota United on March 18, 2021 in exchange for $125,000 in general allocation money. He signed a two-year contract, with the Loons holding an option for a third year.