The summer has officially come to an end. It is getting colder in Charlottesville, yet fall sports are picking up steam as the season progresses. The football team is finally winning (at least a few games), and the men’s soccer team is about to begin play against ACC competition. The Cavaliers have another chance for greatness with a revamped team, new formation and great enthusiasm. Virginia is very talented in the midfield, especially with Hermann Trophy candidate Jonathan Villanueva handling the main ball distributing duties. The midfield is also where we find Chris Tierney, a senior from Massachusetts who was a starter his second year and battled for playing time last year. Tierney has shown a natural ability for leading and scoring, recording three goals and three assists through Virginia’s first five games. Here, we will go beyond the typical player profile, and get a more in depth look at this Cavalier midfielder.
Jadie: What is your nickname?
Chris: My parents call me Bugsy, which is kind of embarrassing. I used to carry around a bunny that I named Bugsy when I was little, and I guess it just sort of caught on because I was attached to it. The guys here call me CT, but that’s about it.
Jadie: How did you get interested in soccer?
C: I think my dad just put me in a lot of town leagues when I was younger. Baseball was actually sort of my sport when I was younger. It wasn’t really until 7th and 8th grade when I started playing club soccer that I got into it.
J: What made you decide between baseball and soccer at that point?
C: I was really a hyper kid, and baseball was too slow of game for my liking, and I like the speed of soccer.
J: How do you feel about having a more significant role this season?
C: It’s great. It’s obviously a lot of responsibility to perform every week, but I wouldn’t have that any other way. It’s great I’ve gotten the opportunity I’ve been waiting to have my whole career here, so it’s good that the hard work has finally paid off.
J: Virginia is now using the midfield-strong formation. Has that helped you as a player?
C: The position that I play, which is a high midfielder, a forward role is really my ideal position. It’s what I played all through club soccer. I love being able to shoot, cross and attacking is what I feel is the best part of my game so it’s been great so far.
J: How has your experience at UVA been?
C: In general it’s been good. School is hard but worth it, and I love UVA. I’m glad I decided to come here. It’s a different school than most of my friends from home choose and not many kids come up here, but I’m glad I did.
J: Why did you pick Virginia over any school in Massachusetts?
C: Because I play soccer. When I got recruited by the UVA coaches, I always told myself that if I had the opportunity to play at a program like UVA, it was a chance that I wasn’t going to pass up. So definitely soccer was the main reason I came.
J: How was your transition from Massachusetts to Virginia?
C: It’s definitely different. People are a lot different - not worse, not better, but just different. Things are a little slower down here, but it’s good. I like the way it worked out.
J: What do you miss the most about home, besides family and friends?
C: From home, I’m going to have to say the weather. I love winter and the snow and skiing. I just love the cold weather and it’s a little too hot here.
J: It’s your last year here. What are you looking forward to improve in your game?
C: I’m really hoping to score more goals. I feel it’s a part at UVA that’s been missing, I haven’t scored as much as I would like. I had maybe 3 or 4 goals last year and I really like shooting, taking people on and trying to score and create goals. It’s really what I’m hoping to get out of this change, just a lot more productivity.
J: You were the lead scorer over the spring. What was better or different that allowed you to excel?
C: Part of it was the new formation I was playing, acting on a more advanced position. A lot of my goals came from free kicks too, which I’ve been working on a lot. I had a couple good ones in the spring, so those were a couple of goals. It’s really just a result of being in a more advance position, the more forward role I play now.
J: Are you considering following in the footsteps of former Cavaliers who have gone on to play professional soccer?
C: I mean that’s always a goal for any young player, but I’m just trying to take it one step at a time, see where everything goes and where it takes me from here. If for some reason I do get the opportunity to play past UVA, that’d be great. I’m not really relying or planning on that so much, I have a lot of other stuff that I hope to be interested in.
J: What are you planning on doing after school?
C: I worked at a physical fitness therapy center this summer, so that’s always something that’s been an interest in me. Being an athlete, knowing about the body and therapy is something I’m interested in. I’ve always wanted to work, in the sports field somewhere, whether it be for a pro team, like a New England area sports department is sort of what I’ve been hoping to do.
J: What player do you look up to and admire?
C: A player I love, it’s kind of cliché, but I love watching David Beckham. Not just because he’s David Beckham, but the way he has his service, his ball striking is always something that I’ve tried to emulate. So I’d have to say David Beckham is the player I look up to.
J: What team would you love to play for, if you had your choice from any league in the world?
C: Manchester United, all the way
J: What’s the one thing Coach Gelnovatch has taught you that you will never forget?
C: I think the thing that George has taught me the most is just how to be a young professional and to take it seriously. He’s instilled a commitment level in all of us that really shows that he knows that he knows what it takes to get the job done and what it really takes to succeed at this level.
J: Do you think you’d be different without Coach Gelnovatch?
C: Sure, he has a unique style, has a very authoritative figure as head coach. I think it’s a style that has worked for him and one that is going to continue to work, because that’s the kind of guy he is.
J: What about something you learned from the team?
C: I know the cliché answer is just that being on a team and trying to figure out the best way to work together. One thing we’re trying to work on a lot this year is being as constructive as we can be. There are times in the spring, when you play with one group of guys so much you start to get frustrated. It gets tough playing with the same group of kids that know your strengths and weaknesses, so just trying to support each other no matter what is something I’ve learned from the team.
J: What would your advice be to any future college athletes?
C: Being an athlete in college, my advice would be to learn to manage your time as best as you can. It really is a full time job being an athlete and trying to do well in school, and also have social activities. So I’d say try and schedule your time so you can be more of an athlete in terms of being successful.
J: What are you going to miss the most of UVA?
C: I’m just going to miss training every day, competing every day because I’m such a competitive person. Practice is a good way for me to relieve some of my stress and I love just being able to compete so it’s definitely something I’m going to miss the most.
J: Where do you think that competitiveness came from?
C: I don’t know, I’ve just always been in sports my whole life and I still am sore loser. Always was when I was a kid, I was always in there just competing, playing sports. Whatever I did, whether at school, even small things like bowling with my friends I always want to win, I guess it’s just a quality I’ve always had.
And for some quick Q&A:
J: Your heritage:
C: Irish
J: Your pet peeves:
C: People who drink the milk out of their cereal bowls
J: Your weakness:
C: My right foot
J: Goal you would like to achieve this year:
C: Score more goals
J: What do you want to be when you grow up?
C: Successful
J: Country you would like to visit the most:
C: Ireland
J: First thing you do when you wake up:
C: Check my email
J: First thing you eat in the morning:
C: Wheat toast
J: Best physical feature:
C: My huge shoulder muscles
J: One thing you would change about yourself:
C: My crooked toes
J: Song you listen to before a game:
C: “Torn” - Natalie Imbruglia
J: First Hero:
C: My grandmother
J: Clemons or Alderman:
C: Neither
J: Castle, Crossroads or Pavilion:
C: Pavilion
J: O’Hill or Newcomb:
C: O’Hill
J: Streaking or Steam Tunnelling:
C: Steam tunnelling
J: The Way Things Work or Intro to Ecology:
C: Way things work
J: JPJ Arena or Scott Stadium:
C: JPJ
J: AFC, MEM or Slaughter:
C: Slaughter
J: Anything you regret doing?
C: Declaring myself as a psych major
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