By Michael Hughes
michhugh@indiana.edu | @MichaelHughes94
When Femi Hollinger-Janzen started practice this fall, he had a newfound confidence as he started preparing for his final season in Bloomington.
“He came back with his chest out a little bit, like ‘I know I can do it,’” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said of Hollinger-Janzen returning.
The reason his chest was out was because Hollinger-Janzen had spent a week of his summer in Kansas City, Kansas, training with Sporting KC.
He was good, too.
Yeagley said he received positive feedback from the Sporting KC coaching staff about Hollinger-Janzen’s performance, and Yeagley said he thought Hollinger-Janzen gained confidence that may drive him toward his best season yet in Bloomington.
“It also opened his eyes because Femi’s as humble as they come,” Yeagley said. “He knows those areas he needs to improve, and we say it, but you need to feel it, you need to see it and you need to experience it.”
Last season, Hollinger-Janzen scored five goals from his position in the midfield, the second most on the team. This season, he said he is looking to increase that tally from a position allowing him greater opportunities to score.
With the departure of last season’s primary striker, Andrew Oliver, Yeagley and the Hoosiers have been looking for a replacement. One of those options is Hollinger-Janzen, who already has some experience as the one striker in the Hoosier attack.
As a sophomore, Hollinger-Janzen scored five goals in 14 starts, mostly as the team’s striker. This season, with the experience gained in Kansas City, Hollinger-Janzen hopes to be the driving force for the Hoosier attack.
“It was great experience. Training at that high level of soccer allowed me just to see where I’m at compared to those guys, and it definitely boosted my game much more,” Hollinger-Janzen said. “It kind of builds a little bit of confidence in me knowing that I’m able to play at that level.”
The main thing Hollinger-Janzen said he picked up in Kansas City is how the players he was training with all seemed so calm, no matter the situation.
This is important, Hollinger-Janzen said, not only for him, but for the entire IU team.
“Bringing that back to these younger guys, they’re anxious and ready to go and moving 100 miles per hour,” he said. “I mean, we all are because we’re ready to go, but we just need to relax and play our own game.”
But staying calm is especially important for Hollinger-Janzen, especially if he is thrust into the striker position this season. Yeagley said he liked what Hollinger-Janzen could bring to the position because his style of play could allow the Hoosiers to stretch the field more than last season.
Hollinger-Janzen’s strength and athleticism allow the Hoosiers to play a long ball up to him, and he can control the pass while holding off the defense until the rest of his teammates join him in attack.
Eventually, this means the opposing defense has to sit further back, allowing more room for players like junior midfielder Tanner Thompson to operate with the ball and potentially find Hollinger-Janzen in front of the goal.
Remaining calm, combined with confidence, may translate to more than a handful of Hoosier goal celebrations surronding the dreadlocks of Hollinger-Janzen.
“I think it’s a validation,” Yeagley said of Hollinger-Janzen’s experience. “You need that as a player to be around that level and understand that you can play with these guys.”
Yeagley has said once Hollinger-Janzen fully realizes just how talented he is and everything he can do on a soccer field, things may get scary because he can do a lot.
This week in Kansas City brought him a step closer, Yeagley said. In addition to realizing he is more than capable of playing alongside professionals, he also realized aspects of his game, both physical and mental, that need improvement.
“His game has again made more strides and he’s confident,” Yeagley said. “And when Femi’s confident and as fit as he is, I expect a really nice season from Femi.”
