Charbonneau attended Hartwick College, playing on the men's soccer team from 1973 to 1976.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies selected him as the 71st pick[1] of the 1977 NASL draft, but did not make the roster.
That fall, he and much of the Hurricane roster was signed to form the core of the Houston Summitt of the MISL.
He continued to play for the Hurricane during the summer and indoors with MISL teams during the winter.
In 1979, he began the MISL season with the Pittsburgh Spirit before being traded to the Hartford Hellions.