Ex-Lobos trying out for MLS
Wehan, Hansen are at combine, ahead of draft
CARSON, Calif. — Former UNM Lobos Chris Wehan and Niko Hansen are participating this week at the MLS Player Combine in anticipation of the Major League Soccer Super Draft on Friday.
Wehan is ranked 19th and Hansen 25th in Top DrawerSoccer.com’s ranking of MLS prospects.
In its mock draft, Top Drawer has Hansen going 14th to Sporting Kansas City, saying, he “showed enough that suggests he could be a promising addition to any MLS team in the right role.” BleacherReport.com has him going ninth to Columbus, while MLSsoccer.com has him being picked by D.C. United at No. 12. He is projected by DraftUtopia.com to be selected 10th overall by the Portland Timbers. It says: “Hansen can play striker, secondary striker, left wing, or right wing with his versatility.”
SBIsoccer.com has Wehan going in the second round to the New York Red Bulls.
Wehan and Hansen were among 53 selected for the combine by a committee of MLS and NCAA Division I coaches. They will go through physical testing and be interviewed by MLS teams. The players also are divided into four teams. Wehan and Hansen will face off in a match on Thursday.
UCLA’s Abu Danladi and Duke’s Jeremy Ebobisse are considered the top prospects.
WORLD CUP: FIFA is set to make the World Cup bigger and richer, even if the price to pay is lower quality soccer.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hopes his ruling Council will agree Tuesday to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 nations, playing in 16 groups of three teams.
A decision could be delayed if some Council members demand to know exactly how many qualifying places each continent will get before agreeing to scrap the 32-team format. It has been successful, popular and profitable since 1998 and is locked in for the next two World Cups in Russia and Qatar.
The prize of 16 extra places, and the biggest increases to Africa and Asia, has “overwhelming” support from FIFA’s 211 member federations, Infantino has said.
Their promise of extra funding from Zurich could also be secured by FIFA’s forecast 20 percent rise in rights fees paid by broadcasters and sponsors.
“Financially, the 48-team format is the most appealing or successful simply because the sporting element is prevailing and every match is important,” Infantino said two weeks ago. “The decision should not be financially driven, neither in terms of revenue or costs … but the driver should really be the development of football and boosting football all over the world.”
World Cup champion Germany is not in favor. It argued that diluting the number of European and South American teams — which won all 20 titles since 1930 — could “strengthen the imbalance” seen at some tournaments.
MORGAN: It started with an audacious tweet from a long-serving French club president, and ended with American star Alex Morgan joining Lyon to fulfill her growing ambition of discovering European football.
Holding up a No. 13 jersey, Morgan was officially presented to the media on Saturday, a day after signing her contract and nearly three weeks after it was announced she was joining from Orlando Pride on a six-month deal with an option for a further season.
Morgan has made 120 appearances for the United States and scored 73 goals, winning the Olympics in 2012 and the Women’s World Cup last year in Canada. Joining three-time European champion Lyon was too good a chance to miss for the skillful forward.
“I know about the club because it’s been a club that has won many championships throughout the last 10 years,” Morgan said. “I was very interested immediately a couple of years ago, when I looked up playing in Europe. But the opportunity presented itself this year and I wanted to take advantage of that.”
Jean-Michel Aulas became Lyon’s president 30 years ago and, under his guidance, the men’s team won seven straight French leagues from 2002-08 and reached the Champions League semifinals in 2010. Aulas has also worked tirelessly to promote the women’s team — which has won the league 14 times — and this persuaded him to take a gamble by contacting Morgan directly on social media.
“I found it funny that the president tweeted me to ask me to join,” Morgan said. “I thought that it was a fantastic opportunity.”