Femi Hollinger-Janzen celebrates his game-winning goal. Photo/Italo Alexander Photography
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Femi Hollinger-Janzen didn’t panic.
The scene: the 80th minute, with the New England Revolution knotted at 1-1 against Seattle Sounders FC at Gillette Stadium. And the rookie wonder, who had replaced Kelyn Rowe just three minutes prior, seemed to be in a hapless situation.
Possession squirted to Femi’s feet at the top of box, but he fell backward as he attempted to control the ball.
Within a half-second, he found his balance anyway and discovered – to his amazement – that he had time and space to fire off a shot, with Seattle’s defenders glued in place as if time had been momentarily frozen.
So Femi didn’t think twice about it, lashing out with his right foot and sending the ball rolling through the penalty area, past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, and into the back of the net like a perfectly hit pool cue slicing straight through a maze of ivory orbs en route to a corner pocket.
Gillette Stadium’s 21,456 crowd cheered wildly as the ball nestled into the goal for what turned out to be the game-winner. Femi is already a fan favorite, with his hulking figure, iconic thick dreads, and ability to change the game off the bench.
“I saw the space in front of me and the goal is in front of me, so I just hit it.” Femi said after Saturday night’s match.
“I’m really excited when I get to go in. Not really too nervous going in anymore, just excited to get out there and start playing.”
Photo/Italo Alexander Photography
Keeping nerves calm is no easy task for a rookie player, but Femi seems to be doing it without too much trouble. His timely finish on Saturday night was all about composure; not many players, especially rookies, would have the presence to get back on the ball, much less score a goal, after losing their balance.
But Femi did, sniffing out his chance like a hungry lion.
“I think in his mind he’s thinking, ‘I can score at any moment,’ because he’s a goal scorer,” said coach Jay Heaps. “I think guys are keying on our other guys and he’s able to come in and think to score…I think that was a striker’s mentality: I’m outside the eighteen, I’m close enough…he just let it fly and the goalie’s screened and it’s a great goal.”
Femi, who was selected in the third round (51st overall) of the 2016 Superdraft, has scored twice this season, more than any other player that was drafted this year; Seattle’s Jordan Morris, who was largely kept quiet on Saturday night, has scored four goals and is the only other rookie who’s been more prolific than Femi in the attack.
And yet, Femi didn’t predict that he’d have such an impact this early in his professional career – “no, definitely not,” he said – but that’s part of what makes his rise so extraordinary.
With the win, the Revolution improve to 3-4-7 (16 points), which puts them in a three-way tie for the Eastern Conference’s fifth and sixth playoff spots.
Saturday night also marked the first time this season that the Revolution rallied from a deficit and fought back to win.
MLS teams will now participate in a 20-day break for the Copa America, which the United States is hosting during the month of June.
Anything less than a win on Saturday night would have been less than ideal for the Revolution, who have endured a sluggish start to the season.
But thanks to their rookie striker’s composure, the Revolution all of a sudden have momentum once more.
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