Tony Tchani: Having A Ball

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Two years removed from Cameroon, Tchani leads UVa men’s soccer team

By Amy Mulligan, Athletics Media Relations

Watching Tony Tchani on the Virginia men’s soccer team, it is hard to believe that less than two years ago he was juggling a soccer ball on the street in Cameroon and learning the rules of the game just by watching it on television.

The 6-foot-4 freshman from Bafang, Cameroon, would watch the professionals on television every day, taking what he saw on the screen and working on his game outside with friends in either short-sided games or even just by juggling.

Two years later, that practice has paid off and Tchani can be seen at Klckner Stadium bending a ball around a defensive wall for a goal or threading a pass through two defenders for an assist for Virginia.

Now a standout central midfielder for the Cavaliers, Tchani looks back on his time practicing in Cameroon when he is asked if he could tell he was more skilled than his buddies and he just smiles.

“I was always thinking about soccer and playing it and hoping it would be in my future,” Tchani said. “I was always playing on the streets. We played four-on-four or three-on-three with no referees just for fun.”

Not only does Tchani have a lot to smile about, he has Cavalier fans smiling at his performance so far in 2008 and the prospects of a bright future. The Cavaliers’ leading goal-scorer, Tchani has made a smooth transition from Cameroon to high school to collegiate soccer and looks poised to become a star for the storied UVa program.

Already he has notched nine goals, including two game-winners, and has led the Cavaliers to a 7-3-0 overall record and perfect 3-0-0 mark in ACC play.

Tchani left Cameroon to live in Maryland with his mother in December 2006, and later moved to Norfolk, Va., to attend Maury High School and play soccer. A friend of an uncle, Maury head coach Mohsin Bouziane, mentored Tchani as he eventually became a player for the Commodores’ soccer squad.

“When I moved to Norfolk, I went to Maury and Mohsin taught me how to play organized soccer,” Tchani says. “At first, I learned the rules on television just by watching but then I learned on the field with my high school team.”

After high school, Tchani visited just two schools, Virginia and Old Dominion, but chose to become a Cavalier after having what he calls an awesome’ visit.

“I just knew I wanted to come to Virginia when I got here,” he said.

At 6-foot-4, Tchani is one of the most imposing players on the field on any given night, but also combines finesse and tactical skill that make him stand out.

“Tony is a talented player and an athletic central midfielder,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch says. “But he can play a lot of different positions.”

His former coach, Bouziane, has already attended several games and Tchani’s mother, Marceline, attended the Cavaliers’ double-overtime victory at George Mason on Sept. 5. Tchani says this has helped him overcome his initial homesickness upon arriving on Grounds.

“At first it was so hard because I was so homesick,” Tchani says. “But I talk to my mom every day on the phone and I’m very excited to be playing soccer.”

Tchani has already captured the attention of Cavalier fans, but some are wondering if the lure of professional soccer may shorten Tchani’s time in Charlottesville.

“I think about playing professionally, but I don’t know when,” Tchani says. “Right now my education comes first.”
The Cavaliers, which boast nine freshmen on the roster in 2008, know that how quickly the youth develops will be integral to the success of the team.

If Tchani is any indication, they have a lot to look forward to.