Niko Hansen’s first inkling he would make his first MLS start at Mapfre Stadium against Toronto FC came Thursday, when he “got a little taste” of how the starting 11 might shake out.

For many who know Hansen, who went to high school in Sacramento and college in Albuquerque, staying up to watch the Saturday 8:00 p.m. eastern kickoff wasn’t too much of a challenge.

Peter Hansen, however, put in a little extra effort to watch his son’s first start.

“He’s in Denmark, so if he’s watching, (kickoff is) at 2 a.m.,’” Niko Hansen said of his father. “(He said), ‘I’m going to stay up and I’m going to watch.’ It was nice to get that feeling.”

Hansen admitted to feeling nerves during his March 25 MLS debut against the Portland Timbers, and the light emotions worked in his favor.

The 22-year-old rookie, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, hammered home the rebound of a blocked Ola Kamara shot for the deciding goal in a 3-2 Crew win over the Timbers.

Hansen said he again had light jitters heading into the Toronto FC game, but nothing unexpected.

“I mean you always have nerves. It’s like psychology, there’s always a little bit of nervous anxiety to have. I think that’s what I was,” Hansen said. “You don’t want to be too relaxed and you don’t want to be too nervous and I think I was at a good balance.”

He also appeared to be in balance with midfielder Federico Higuain, with whom he made several overlapping runs near the right sideline.

The pair linked up a couple times early in the eventual 2-1 Crew SC win, one combination resulting in an Higuain shot from close range into the side netting in the 12th minute. In the 37th, Higuain slowed down just enough to dish ahead to Hansen, who kept the ball then booted across the box to give Kamara an easy score.

“Yeah, Pipa’s an amazing player and I think any time you can get him the ball and you can run I think he’s going to try to find you and I think that’s what I tell myself,” Hansen said. “There are times when I just look for him and then just ran and I think on the assist that worked out for us.”

Postgame, Crew coach Gregg Berhalter credited Hansen’s work ethic and performance in training and previous games as reasons for his first start. Reflecting on his first couple months in MLS, Hansen said getting up to speed has been a gradual process.

Niko Hansen with the finish in Tuesday #CrewSC practice. pic.twitter.com/jNN1xEw2jA

— Andrew Erickson (@AEricksonCD) April 18, 2017

Against Portland, he said the game at times felt quick. Hansen went back to watch the film and realized he had slightly more time to make decisions than he had anticipated in-game.

“I was like, ‘Man, I have time. I have way more time than I think,’” Hansen said. “I told myself that going into the start of this weekend. ‘Be calm; be all right with having a little bit on the ball and find the right pass.’”

Berhalter lifted Hansen in the 60th minute for right wing Ethan Finlay, who provided a fresh pair of legs for the final half-hour.

While Berhalter has been complimentary of Hansen’s performance, he wouldn’t commit Tuesday to the idea of it being difficult to take Hansen out of the starting 11.

“We’ll see. We’re still gonna be objective about what the game was and what the performances were like,” Berhalter said. “The euphoria of winning the game is over and now you settle down and you analyze the game. ‘What could we have done better? What could the individuals have done better and what could we have done better as a team?’ So we’ll look at all that and make the right decision.”

A year ago

Through Week 7, Crew SC (4-2-1) sits atop the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 13 points. Orlando City SC (4-1-0) is second with 12 points, but has only played five games.

Berhalter dismissed the notion of his team benefiting from a slight cushion resulting from its early-season performance, but the results so far indicate the Crew is in a much different place compared to how it began 2016. Through Week 7 of last year, Crew SC was 0-3-2, last in the Eastern Conference with two points. Win No. 4 came Aug. 20.

“I don’t really look at like that. I look at the next game. You guys know that,” Berhalter said. “Our next game is against a very good opponent (New York Red Bulls). Very good at home, and it’s going to be a tough game. I think Red Bull has played us tough, especially there and we know it’s going to be hard, but we want to go there with the right mindset, to get a result.”

In the franchise’s 32 regular-season road games at the New York Red Bulls and New York/New Jersey MetroStars, the Crew is 10-17-5.

Young guns

Inserting Hansen into the lineup Saturday against Toronto meant Crew SC rolled out one of its youngest lineups in recent memory. Hansen (22), midfielder Artur (21), center back Alex Crognale (22) and goalkeeper Zack Steffen (22) made four starters under the age of 23. Adding midfielder Wil Trapp (24) and center back Nicolai Naess (24) gave the Crew six starters under 25.

“It’s that balance between young guys who are fearless who just want to be playing and the old guys who bring the experience of knowing opponents and knowing what the league is about and helping us get through moments in games that aren’t perfect,” Berhalter said. “When I think about the age of our group, I think we started six guys under the age of (25) last game. So it’s a young, young team and I don’t think people take that into consideration.”

@AEricksonCD