Portland Timbers Ring of Honor members Clive Charles and Diego Valeri were named this week as finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2027.
Charles is among five finalists in the Builders category. For 2027, the Builders category election is open to coaches only. Valeri, in his second year of eligiblity, is among 20 finalists for the honor in the Player category.
The Hall of Fame Voting Committees will meet over the next several weeks and then vote to select a maximum of six new members; as many as three Players and two Veterans can be selected, along with one Builder.
The 2027 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for April 16 in Frisco. Click here for a full list of finalists and learn more about the selection process.
Clive Charles
A Timbers All-Time XI selection and Ring of Honor member, Clive Charles arrived in Portland from England in 1978 and spent four seasons with the Green and Gold. Considered one of the first modern outside fullbacks of the time, he appeared in 67 matches for the NASL era Timbers plus made another nine appearances for the indoor team, contributing 12 career assists.
After his playing career ended, Charles returned to Portland to coach. After starting at the high school level, he moved to the collegiate ranks to lead both the men's and women's programs at the University of Portland. While at UP, he led the Pilots women to the 2002 Division I NCAA Championship and compiled a combined 429-144-44 record while winning 13 conference titles, earning 20 NCAA tournament berths and making seven Final Four appearances.
On the U.S. national team level, Charles was an assistant coach on the 1998 U.S. Men's World Cup staff in France and was the head coach for the U.S. Men at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, becoming the first coach to lead a U.S. team to the medal round. The list of players he coached and had an impact on across his career include such stars as Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Shannon MacMillan, Brian Dunseth, Christine Sinclair, Jeff Agoos, Tiffeny Milbrett, Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Josh Wolff, Ben Olsen, Frankie Hejduk, and many more.Â
In 2024, the club's special edition third kit was inspired by Charles' enduring legacy with the club. Charles' No. 3 jersey is the only number to have been retired by the Timbers.
Diego Valeri
Making 306 total appearances (265 starts) in all competitions across nine seasons (2013-21), Diego Valeri tallied 100 goals and 104 assists for the Timbers – both tops in club history. The ValentÃn Alsina, Argentina, native was a part of every major trophy-winning side in the team’s MLS era, including three Western Conference Championships (2015, 2018, 2021), the MLS is Back Tournament (2020) and the 2015 MLS Cup. Scoring just :27 seconds into the 2015 Cup final – a record for fastest goal in MLS Cup history – Valeri was named the 2015 MLS Cup MVP in the Timbers' 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew.
In 2017, he posted a team-single season record 21 goals to go along with 11 assists, while also recording a goal in nine consecutive matches – an MLS record at the time – on his way to earning an MLS Best XI selection and being named the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player.
A four-time MLS All-Star and MLS Best XI selection (2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018), Valeri is part of the MLS 25 Greatest Players list, honoring the best in the league across its first 25 seasons and is the only player in league history to win MLS Newcomer of the Year, regular season MLS MVP and MLS Cup MVP.
In 2023, Valeri became just the sixth player in Timbers history to be inducted into the club’s Ring of Honor and in 2025, the midfielder was part of the Timbers All-Time XI, selected in honor of the team's 50th anniversary.
