Timbers legend from the 1970s will be guest of honor on consecutive nights as part of post-film panel discussion
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers will be supporting the premiere of Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story documentary at Portland’s Aladdin Theater from June 4-5, the club and documentary production announced today. Following sold out shows at global premieres in London and Bermuda this spring, Portland’s Aladdin Theater will bring Clyde Best’s story to Soccer City, USA, for a two-night run with the support from the Portland Timbers.
The powerful sports and social history documentary celebrates the extraordinary life and legacy of Bermudian legend Clyde Best — the first Black soccer superstar of the modern television era in England – and a pioneering figure who later played for the Portland Timbers in the NASL (1977-81) and helped shape the early growth of professional soccer in the United States.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Egan, the documentary traces Best’s journey from Bermuda to English football’s top flight, where he rose to prominence with West Ham United in the late 1960s and ’70s. Facing open racism while performing at the highest level of the game, Best not only broke barriers but excelled — scoring 58 goals in 218 appearances and becoming a symbol of resilience, excellence, and change.
Among other key moments, the film revisits Easter Sunday 1972, when Best, future club Ring of Honor member Clive Charles, and Ade Coker became the first Black trio to start a match in England’s First Division — an historic milestone that transcended sport.
The documentary also chronicles Best’s vital role in American soccer during its formative professional years. In the North American Soccer League, he helped the Tampa Bay Rowdies capture the 1975 Soccer Bowl and later became a fan favorite with the Timbers, leaving a lasting imprint on the U.S. game on and off the pitch. Best and Charles re-united as teammates at the Timbers in the late 1970s and Best’s close personal relationship with Charles and the Charles family is an important theme explored in the film, including scenes shot in and around Portland.
A member of the Portland Timbers from 1977-82, Best recorded 38 goals while contributing 27 assists in 115 games in Green and Gold. Notably, Best finished as the leading scorer or second-best scorer in Portland in four of his five seasons in Soccer City, USA, where he excelled in his second-longest tenure with a single club, after West Ham.
Narrated by award-nominated actor Tony Head, who features in Tyler Perry’s BET series Zatima, the film brings Best’s story to life with emotional depth and historical resonance. It also features an original score and songs by acclaimed musician Roy Hay of Culture Club. Featuring newly uncovered archival footage and exclusive interviews, the documentary includes appearances by Harry Redknapp, Les Ferdinand, Viv Anderson, Ian Wright, and U.S. Men’s National Team star Kasey Keller, who reflects on the development and evolution of the professional game in the U.S. during Best’s years.
Both shows will feature a post-screening experience that will provide space for conversation, Q&A with stars from the film and giveaways like a trip to Bermuda and Timbers tickets.
For more information, visit www.clydebest.com.
