Tchani was drafted in the first round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by New York Red Bulls. He made his professional debut on 27 March 2010, in New York's opening game of the 2010 MLS season against Chicago Fire. On 27 April 2010 Tchani made his first start for New York helping the club to a 2–1 victory over Philadelphia Union in a 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualification match. On 20 May 2010 Tchani headed in his first career goal in a 3–1 loss to Columbus Crew. During Tchani's initial campaign with New York he was gradually brought into the first unit by coach Hans Backe and eventually began to form a solid partnership in the heart of the Red Bulls' midfield with newly signed Rafael Marquez. Tchani ended his first professional season appearing in 27 regular season matches for New York scoring 1 goal and providing 3 assists in helping his side capture the regular season Eastern Conference title.
Tchani was traded to Toronto FC on 1 April 2011 along with teammate Danleigh Borman and a 2012 SuperDraft 1st round pick for Dwayne De Rosario. The following day Tchani made his debut for Toronto in a 1–1 home draw against Chivas USA. Tchani scored his first goal for Toronto in a 1–1 home draw versus Columbus Crew on 23 April 2011, following his goal celebration he was shown his second yellow of the game leading to an ejection. Tchani was forced to change his number in late June from 22 to 32 with Toronto's new designated player signing of Torsten Frings.
Columbus Crew
On 15 July 2011, Tchani was traded to Columbus Crew in exchange for Andy Iro and Léandre Griffit. Due to a left knee injury, Tchani was sidelined upon his arrival at the club, and underwent surgery in late August. Finally, on 27 October 2011, he made his debut for the Black & Gold, playing 90 minutes in the midfield in a 1–0 away defeat at the hands of the Colorado Rapids in the Wild Card round of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs. On 7 December 2012 Tchani signed a new deal with Columbus. In 2013, Tchani remained a part-time player starting 13 matches for Columbus. However, in 2014 he became a mainstay and started 33 of 34 league matches. In 2016, he missed time because of national team commitments, but still made 21 appearances, scoring against Orlando City SC in a 2–2 draw.
In a deal announced 30 March 2017, Tchani, along with $300,000 in various allocation funds and a possible future draft pick, was traded to Vancouver Whitecaps FC for Kekuta Manneh.
Chicago Fire
On 28 February 2018, Tchani was traded to the Chicago Fire for $150,000 in Targeted Allocation Money. He was waived by the Fire on 9 August 2018.
On 7 August 2019, Tchani signed with Canadian Premier League side FC Edmonton. He made his debut on August 10 against Pacific FC. On November 4 Edmonton announced Tchani would not return to the club for the 2020 season.
International career
On 4 November 2015, Tchani received his first call up from Cameroon for their upcoming World Cup Qualifying matches against Niger. However, after aggravating an injury during a match with Columbus, he withdrew from the squad. In January 2016, Tchani was called up by the United States for their friendlies against Iceland and Canada He made his U.S. debut on 31 January against Iceland, coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute. However, this friendly appearance did not cap-tie Tchani. In March 2016 he accepted a call up from Cameroon for their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa. After appearing against South Africa, he was cap-tied to Cameroon.
