Peter Carli

Carli was originally drafted in 1981 by the Carolina Lightnin' of the American Soccer League. His rights were traded to the New England Sharks where a shoulder injury incurred in a preseason match ended his season.[1] Later that year he got a trial with West Ham and was offered a contract by the club with the intention of loaning him to Leyton Orient F.C. a Third Division (English Football) team and then potentially selling him to a North American Soccer League team. The contract was contingent on obtaining a work permit (United Kingdom). Carli trained with West Ham for two months awaiting the permit which was ultimately denied by the government due to the then high 13% British unemployment rate and was let go by the club. In November that year he got a one-month contract with the NASL Jacksonville Tea Men but didn't appear in any matches.[1] As an amateur Carli played collegiately one year each at Jacksonville University[3] and The University of Connecticut. He played in his first soccer match at the age of 17 in high school at Bacon Academy in Colchester, Connecticut.

He has been a volunteer Assistant Soccer Coach at Connecticut College since 1992.[4] On November 10, 2018 he filled in as Head Coach and led the Camels to their first NCAA Tournament victory against Thomas College. [5]

While at West Ham Carli was trained by legendary goalkeeper coach Ernie Gregory along with first team goalkeeper Phil Parkes (footballer born 1950). One morning Parkes gave him a pair of German made Reusch goalkeeper gloves to use and was impressed by their performance. Parkes told him that his agent was the U.K. distributor for Reusch. After he was let go by the club Carli contacted the agent about importing the brand to the United States. He and his mother started a small mail order business that was quickly overwhelmed with orders. They contacted Reusch GmbH and began purchasing gloves directly from them and were offered the exclusive U.S. distribution rights. In 1982, he and his parents, Mary and Ronald Jones, formed Reusch-USA Ltd.[6] His father Dominic "Peter" Carli was killed in a plane crash while working on Polaris missile technology in 1961. [7] Reusch-USA supplied over 1000 stores and signed US National team goalkeepers Tony Meola[8] and David Vanole to endorsement contracts as well as US National team goalkeeper coach Joe Machnik and international goalkeeper trainer Dan Gaspar. The company was closed in 1993 and 1.FC Goalkeeper was started to distribute their own brand.

The company's art director, Jacqueline Jones, is now an accomplished plein air artist in Connecticut and New York City.[9] On August 16, 2013 she opened Jacqueline Jones Studio and Gallery in Glastonbury, Connecticut as a venue to offer her work to the public.[10]

In 2004 Carli tried to establish a professional soccer team (the Connecticut Hammers) in Waterbury, Connecticut.[2] He was granted the negotiating rights to a Pro Soccer League (PSL) franchise by the United Soccer Leagues which was the governing body for the two minor American soccer leagues.[11] The team attempted to work with the city to convert Municipal Stadium (Waterbury) from a baseball stadium to a 5,000 seat soccer facility that would serve as its home venue.[2][12] The Connecticut Hammers franchise ultimately never played a professional game.[13]

In June 2010 Carli's 253 unit affordable housing project, Hampton Woods, was approved by the East Hampton, Connecticut Planning and zoning commission. The townhouse community's primary purpose was to create housing for young professionals who were unable to find affordable housing and were forced to leave Connecticut as a result. Construction was expected to start in late 2010 or early 2011.[14][15] Hampton Woods is believed to be the largest affordable housing project approved to date in Connecticut by a planning and zoning commission.