As the soccer world looks ahead to the FIFA World Cup, Portland fans will get a chance to celebrate one of the most influential figures in Timbers’ history with a new documentary spotlighting former striker Clyde Best.
“Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story” will screen June 4 and 5 at the Aladdin Theater, highlighting Best’s life and legacy. Best played for the Timbers from 1977 to 1981 and played more than 100 matches for the Timbers, both indoor and on the pitch.
Billy Merck, founder of Green Is The Color, said the film reaches well beyond the game itself. One of the documentary’s central stories follows Best leaving Bermuda alone at 17 years old to trial with West Ham United.
“He was a 17-year-old Black kid in London by himself, and nobody picks him up at the airport,” Merck said. “He gets on the tube, gets off at the wrong station, and ends up knocking on a stranger’s door. It turns out to be Clive Charles’ mom’s house.”
Best would spend years living with the Charles family, forming a bond that would later connect two legends of Portland soccer.
Merck said the film also explores the racism Best overcame during his career.
“It’s a great story about racism, about perseverance,” he said. “It’s a sports movie, a soccer movie, and a movie about overcoming obstacles.”
Both screenings will include a panel discussion with Best and former West Ham player Addy Coker.
Screening times are:
Thursday, June 4: 7:30 p.m. (VIP meet and greet at 5:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.)
Friday, June 5: 7:30 p.m. (VIP meet and greet at 5:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.)
“Make it a priority to go,” Merck said. “People will feel connected to Clyde, connected to the movie and inspired in their own lives beyond the film.”
Merck is a sports writer who posts essays, podcasts and more around the Timbers on Green Is the Color.