Chacurian made his name playing soccer in the late 1940s and the 1950s, when an array of scrappy immigrant teams played in semipro leagues scattered along the East Coast. There were teams like the German Hungarian Knitters, the Brooklyn Italians, the Kearny Scots, and the team Chacurian spent most of his career playing for, the New York Swiss.

“Soccer was not in the American mainstream,” says Colin Jose, historian with the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York. “But those who followed the game back then would have known Chico as a top player.”

Chacurian was born in 1924 in Cordoba, Argentina, the child of Armenian immigrants. He grew up playing soccer and signed his first professional contract with a team called Racing when he was just 15. After six years playing in the Argentine leagues, he emigrated to the United States, where he moved in with his maternal relatives in New York.

‘He could go from end to end of the field with the ball looking like it was glued to his feet’

Word spread in the tightly knit immigrant soccer community that the Argentine kid could play. There were few Hispanics playing in the German-American Soccer League—most of its athletes came from European countries like Germany, Portugal, and Russia. But Chacurian stood out because of his professional experience and was soon recruited.

He vividly recalls driving with his new teammates to his first game in Brooklyn.

“I was used to playing in front of thousands in Argentina—I’m bragging a little bit now—and I came over here and the game is in an empty lot without even any goalposts,” he says. “I wanted to get on the first plane back home!” The players marked off the field themselves, he remembers, dug the holes for the goalposts, and played the game.

The teams were semipro, so Chacurian worked as a printer, playing games on weekends. The players didn’t get paid much—Chacurian says he got a couple of hundred dollars a game—but they played more for the love of the game.

In those days, players and supporters were almost exclusively blue-collar immigrants, says Jose. The games would attract a couple of thousand fans, bringing communities together around the sport they loved from back home.

Chacurian starred for the New York Swiss in the German-American Soccer League. Frequently, top European soccer clubs would tour the United States and play games against local all-star teams. He remembers competing against big-name teams of the era, like Internazionale Milan and Glasgow Celtic. The matches in the New York area were held at Municipal Stadium at Randalls Island, drawing huge crowds. The European teams usually got the better of the locals, but Chacurian vividly recalls a spectacular goal in a game against Celtic: “I scored a beautiful header.”

‘To me, soccer is the number one sport. I just love the game’

Chacurian also played for the United States National Team, earning four “caps” (hats, for representing his country in an international game) against England, Mexico, and Haiti. Today, players regularly earn more than 100 caps for playing in international games, but in those days, the U.S. Nats, as they’re known, didn’t play much, so those caps represented a relatively significant number of games.

Chacurian was a stocky, skilled forward, remembers George Brown, a fellow Hall of Fame inductee who played against and with him during the 1950s. The games could be pretty rough, with lots of hard tackling and charging, but he always kept his cool. And though he rarely ever had time to train, Chacurian possessed astonishing stamina.

“He could go from end to end of the field with the ball looking like it was glued to his feet,” Brown recalls. “We played on fields that never saw grass, but Chico was outstanding. He was always a first-choice all-star.”

Several European teams were interested in signing him, but Chacurian says he spurned their offers. “To me, America was the country I wanted to live in.”

After retiring, Chacurian continued to coach, working at Southern Connecticut State and Yale. He continues to be involved as an instructor with U.S. Youth Soccer’s Olympic Development Program. Many of the country’s current stars were taught as youngsters by Chacurian, including Claudio Reyna, current captain of the U.S. National Team, and more recently, wunderkind Freddy Adu, who plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.

“I love to teach,” Chacurian says. “To me, soccer is the number one sport. I just love the game.”

“He’s extremely skilled,” says Bob Palmeiro, director of Region 1 for U.S. Youth Soccer. “He teaches a lot more than just kicking the ball. He teaches the kids the finer points of the game. He’s like a grandfather.”

Every fall, Chacurian gets together with other old-time soccer players at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. “Chico can hold court for hours talking about his exploits,” Brown says. “I tell you, we score more goals every year.”

Chacurian plays soccer weekly with a group of retirees near his suburban Connecticut home, where he lives with his wife, Florence. He delights in surprising younger players now and then by unleashing a wicked free kick toward goal.

“I don’t want to brag,” Chacurian says, “but I can still play. I’m more experienced now that I’m only 80. Only.”