Tayous fit in on field, in culture

Arriving in New York on their first trip to the United States from their native Cameroon, the Tayou brothers, Uzi and Franck, experienced a “Coming to America” moment.

When the friendly, nattily attired Uzi noticed an airport employee wearing saggy pants, he innocently offered him his belt.

“He was walking funny,” said Uzi, who plays alongside Franck on the Las Vegas Legends indoor soccer team. “Back home, we’re not accustomed to that. People don’t sag their pants. We were colonized by the French and people dress more European style.

“I didn’t need a belt because my pants were tight enough, so I went and asked him, ‘Hey, do you need a belt? I can borrow you my belt.’ He was offended and started cursing at me, but back then I didn’t know what he was saying.”

It wasn’t until a year later, when the French-speaking Tayous had begun to grasp the English language and American culture, that Uzi understood the man’s reaction.

“I felt bad because back home you will help anybody you see on the street,” he said. “I felt maybe I can help him. I don’t need the belt and maybe he needs the belt more than I do. I don’t want his pants to be down to his knees.”

The Tayous are two of nine siblings who moved here after their father fled the west central African country because of political persecution.

“He felt like his life was in danger, so he left,” Uzi said.

Franck — one of the leading scorers for the Legends with 20 goals and four assists — and defender Uzi will help lead expansion Las Vegas (13-3) into the Professional Arena Soccer League playoffs in a two-game quarterfinal series against Toros Mexico (7-9) today in San Diego and at 4 p.m. Sunday at Orleans Arena.

As part of both doubleheaders, San Diego (15-1) faces Turlock (9-7) today and at 7 p.m. Sunday.

If the teams split their series, a 15-minute tiebreaker match will be played to determine the winner, which will advance to the league semifinals March 10 in San Diego.

When the Tayous moved to Las Vegas in 2006, learning English was the biggest challenge facing them, but soccer helped them break that barrier.

While literally running around town looking for pickup soccer games here one Sunday, the brothers stumbled upon a group of Mexicans playing in a league. They didn’t speak much English, either, and seemed surprised when the Tayous asked if they could join.

“They see two African-American guys and they’re like, ‘These guys don’t play soccer. What are they doing here?’ ” Franck said. “We found a way to communicate.”

Turned down by two teams, the Tayous were finally invited to play for a team lacking players, but they didn’t have any cleats. No problem.

Accustomed to playing barefoot in Cameroon, Uzi took the field in tennis shoes and scored three goals in his first game.

The next week, the team happily helped the Tayous buy soccer shoes and thus began their American soccer odyssey.

Playing organized soccer for the first time in their lives, the Tayous spent a season together at Valley High School, one each at community colleges in Washington and Kansas, and then two years at West Virginia, where they played together in two NCAA Tournaments.

“It was a great experience. One of those things you’re going to take to the grave,” said Franck, who had a hat trick for the Mountaineers in a first-round tournament win and led West Virginia in goals in 2010 (nine) and game-winning goals (five).

When the brothers and best friends graduated from West Virginia, their mother burst with pride back in Cameroon, where she still resides.

“She was crying when I told her,” Uzi said.

Playing on the pristine fields of NCAA Division I soccer and on the indoor carpet in Las Vegas is a far cry from the concrete streets of Cameroon, where the brothers always played barefoot.

“We couldn’t afford shoes,” Franck said. “Mom wouldn’t buy us shoes. She’d rather buy us books. We had a lot of cuts on our legs. A lot of them.”

Said Uzi: “We played on the street. Sometimes we didn’t even have a ball, so we would make up plastic balls or something.”

Soccer is king in Cameroon.

“It’s all football,” Franck said. “Back home, people don’t have the ability to buy video games and stuff like that, so all you do is just play.”

With your pants pulled up.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.