Some of Femi Hollinger-Janzen’s earliest memories are of playing soccer in the streets of his hometown in the West African nation of Benin.

“I can still remember running around in the streets, playing with other kids,” Hollinger-Janzen said.

His journey ultimately led him to the other side of the globe, where he now plays soccer for Birmingham Legion FC with the same exuberance as that child who first fell in love with the sport.

Hollinger-Janzen plays forward for the Legion, the newest expansion team in the United Soccer League, and will be on the field for the team’s second home game of the season Saturday night against the visiting Ottawa Fury FC.

Born and then abandoned at a church-based health center in Benin, he was adopted at his birth by his American missionary parents Rod and Lynda Hollinger-Janzen. He also was born with a deformed leg bent upward in a u-shape.

As the leg healed, Hollinger-Janzen began exhibiting natural athletic ability.

The family moved to Indiana when he was 6, and he honed the soccer skills and eventually earned high school All-American honors and later helped Indiana win the 2012 College Cup, which played at the Hoover Met.

Drafted as the 10th pick in the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft (51st overall in the SuperDraft), he spent the last three seasons in the MLS with the New England Revolution.

Now he wants to bring his championship mentality to the Magic City.

“At every level, you want to be in a championship situation,” he said. “The players here are hungry for that, and we’d love to bring a championship to Birmingham.”

When he first heard he’d be moving to Alabama, Hollinger-Janzen admits he had some trepidation. Those worries, though, have been eclipsed by the community’s hospitality and excitement surorunding the new soccer team.

“To be honest, I was a little nervous with the history of the area, but it’s been way different than anything I expected,” he said. “Everyone is so friendly and helpful, and the area and environment is just beautiful.”

Hollinger-Janzen said he and his teammates are often asked by strangers what they do in the city. When they share that they play with the Birmingham Legion, he said they invariably get excited responses.

“They’re so supportive and excited,” he said. “They’re interested in the team and what we’re doing,”

Legion fans showed up in a big way for the team’s opener at BBVA Compass Field last weekend, registering an announced attendance of 5,807 for the 2-0 loss to Bethlehem Steel FC in the Legion FC franchise debut.

Hollinger-Janzen said that the response on gameday was very encouraging, but that the team was disappointed in the 2-0 loss it took at the hands of visiting Bethlehem (Pa.) Steel FC.

This week, he added, has been focused on setting things right before Saturday’s match against Ottawa.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the start we wanted. We started out strong and had a good chance to win,” he said. “We can be more aggressive. If there’s an opportunity to shoot, we need to shoot.”

This Saturday we're going green for St. Paddy's Day 🍀



Among the offerings - $2 green beer in the Legion FC Plaza 🍻https://t.co/zf3hv7zcuQ | #HammerDown pic.twitter.com/7ljJKoQMkU — Birmingham Legion FC (@bhmlegion) March 12, 2019

In the season-opening loss, Holinger-Janzen flew around the field, displaying tenacity and aggressiveness.

“Femi is a player we know well from his time in MLS,” Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps said when Hollinger-Janzen was first acquired. “Not only does he exhibit a physical, attacking style of play at a variety of positions, he has excellent character and will be a good presence in the locker room.”

At 25, Hollinger-Janzen considers himself one of the “middle-aged” members of the Legion locker room and proudly embraces the moniker of “leader."

One of the Legion’s strengths lies in its youth and energy.

“Our youth is an advantage,” he said. “We have some (players) right out of college, and all of them are hungry to win, wanting to learn. I see myself as someone who can be a leader to the other players.”

That leadership is multi-faceted, but early in the season it means fostering communication and relationships among the players and looking at the season purposefully.

“We really do take it one game at a time. We look at the schedule and know what we’ve got ahead of us, but you can’t dwell on that. We really just look at each game,” he said. “We know that every team is a challenge.”

If any player can rise to a challenge, Hollinger-Janzen is that player. His young life, as well as his rise to success, are evidence anything is possible.