MN United acquires Niko Hansen from Houston

Minnesota United announced Thursday they acquired the right of first refusal to midfielder Niko Hansen via a trade from the Houston Dynamo for $50,000 in 2021 general allocation money and $75,000 in 2022 general allocation money.

Hansen has signed a new, two-year contract with Minnesota with a club option for an additional year.

We’ve liked Niko since he was at the University of New Mexico," said MNUFC Head Coach Adrian Heath. "We spoke with both Ethan (Finlay) and Wil (Trapp) who played with him in Columbus, and they just confirmed what we already knew: Niko is an incredibly gifted and athletic player, who can play a lot of different spots on the field. We know how important that is, especially this year with more condensed scheduling. He knows the league, he knows the opponents. His versatility is going to be huge for us this year. He’s someone I’ve always wanted to work with. His pace is a game-changer. Having coached against him we always felt he was going to be a handful for us, so it’s nice to finally have him on our side."

Hansen joins the Loons after spending just under two seasons with Houston. He made 21 game appearances, with two goals and one assist. The speedy winger arrived to Houston via trade from Columbus in August 2019.