In 1947 at the age of twenty-three, he moved to the United States to live with relatives of his mother to find work when a players' strike in Argentina left him penniless.
This brought him to the attention of Brooklyn Hispano of the American Soccer League (ASL).
When not playing, Chacurian held several side jobs including time as a printer and as a watchmaker.
He also played with several All Star teams against visiting European national and professional clubs.
After he retired from playing, Chacurian entered the coaching ranks as an assistant at Southern Connecticut State University.
During his first season there Chico guided the team to an undefeated season (10–0) and established a culture of winning and camaraderie; his charges scored 34 goals and had only four scored against them, posting seven consecutive shutouts and even beating the Yale varsity team.
In 1976, when freshmen were allowed to join the varsity directly, and the Ivy League discontinued freshman soccer in favor of a junior varsity program, Yale University moved Chacurian up to work in both the men's and then the women's soccer programs.
[3] He also won five league titles as the coach of Bridgeport Vasco da Gama between 1974 and 1980 Chacurian lived in Stratford, Connecticut and has a soccer field in Short Beach named after him.