Tchani makes his way to ACC fame

Tony Tchani hardly knows his father — he’s only met him a couple of times. The Virginia sophomore’s formative years were spent almost entirely with his mother in Cameroon.

So when Marceline Gargom, seeking political asylum, unexpectedly left for the United States about six years ago, Tchani’s emotions ran the gamut.

The 12-year-old was confused. Sad. A little bit scared.

“She never told me why she had to go,” explained Tchani. “I’ve never known why.”

Tchani, who was left to live with extended family, didn’t see his mother again until about four years later when she was finally able to bring him to Maryland where she was living.

“The first time I saw her, I jumped on her because I was so happy,” Tchani said.

That’s sort of how Virginia coach George Gelnovatch must have felt after he discovered Tchani.

Last year, the Cameroonian scored a team-leading nine goals and three assists as a freshman, despite missing the final eight games with a knee injury.

Believe it or not, UVa was unaware of Tchani — who played for two years at Maury High in Norfolk — until fairly late in the recruiting process. Gelnovatch and staff found out about him through a coach from Virginia Beach that had worked at one of their summer camps.

“He basically said, ‘Have you seen this Cameroonian kid play?’” Gelnovatch said. “I said, ‘No.’”

The next week, Gelnovatch went to watch Tchani. Shortly after, he offered him a scholarship.

Tchani said picking UVa over roughly a dozen other schools was a fairly easy decision for him.

“When I first came here for my visit, I was like, ‘This is the place to be. I’m coming here,’” Tchani recalled.

Although the stats belie it, Tchani says his transition to the college game was challenging at first. “I learned that college soccer is tough,” Tchani said. “It’s physical, and you just have to work really hard if you want to do well.”

Tchani first took up the sport in Cameroon when he was 5. “I would just kick the ball around with friends and stuff,” Tchani said. “That’s how I learned — and I’ve always enjoyed it.”

Tchani’s teammates knew fairly quickly after he arrived on Grounds that he was something special.

“We look at him as some kind of iron man kind of guy because he’s just thick and it’s hard to knock him off the ball,” said Virginia forward Brian Ownby, “and his touch is just pretty great — his finishing has really improved.”

Tchani says his most memorable game from last year was the team’s 1-0 victory over North Carolina. In that contest, Tchani scored the game-winner. “They were No. 12 in the nation,” Tchani said. “That was a big win.”

Unfortunately, the Cavaliers lost Tchani when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Longwood on Oct. 21.

This season, Tchani has come back strong from his injury. In Virginia’s season-opening victory over Portland, he scored two goals. Tchani followed with a good performance in the team’s win over Washington.

Not bad for a guy who says he’s only about 90 percent recovered.

Tchani, last season’s ACC freshman of the year, couldn’t stop smiling when asked how it felt to be on the field in Oregon.

“I was so happy to be back because I was out for nine months and worked so hard to come back,” he said. “Finally, I was back.”

Tchani is the type of player who stands out. The wiry 6-foot-4, 185-pounder, who grew up rooting for the French soccer star Zinedine Zidane, has an unmistakable flair.

“He’s just Tony,” said Virginia defender Shawn Barry. “He plays like nobody I’ve ever seen. He can hold people off the ball and is also fast. He has all the qualities you want.”

Ownby agrees that Tchani is unique.

“Not that many teams have a player like Tony,” Ownby said. “When he’s out there, we always know we have a chance to win every game.”

Gelnovatch is most excited about what Tchani has accomplished in the classroom. Coming out of high school, Tchani, whose first language is French, was on the cusp of not being admitted to the university, mainly because of his performance on standardized tests.

“He came here real marginal — it was hit or miss,” Gelnovatch said, “but he has one of the highest GPAs on the team. He’s just a hard worker.”

Tchani’s mother still lives in Maryland. She has a job in the convalescence field that doesn’t allow her to come to Charlottesville very often. However, she and Tchani talk every day on the phone. “We are very, very close,” Tchani said.

Last season, Tchani’s mom was able to attend an exciting double-overtime victory at nearby George Mason. This season, Tchani’s hoping she can see him play a little more frequently.

At the very least, mother and son are in the same country, just a couple hours away from each other. Son is one of the best players in the ACC, and a good student to boot.

“She is very [proud],” Tchani said. “My uncle is too, and my coach from high school. They are all happy.”