In that year he moved to South America to work on railways along the Río de la Plata.

[8][9] Harley's time with Peñarol as a player and manager is considered significant for the fact that he changed the Uruguayan style of football from a focus on long ball to a game that featured short passing.

This style of play is considered to have contributed to Peñarol and Uruguay achieving significant success up to the 1920s.

[3][8][10] In 1951 Harley was honoured with a match between Peñarol and Rampla Juniors at the Estadio Centenario.

[4][11] Harley died in 1960 in Uruguay, and was buried in The British Cemetery in Montevideo.