The National Soccer Hall of Fame has released its eligible candidates for the Class of 2025, and among the names are Timbers great and Ring of Honor member Clive Charles.
On Wednesday, the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas, released all candidates eligible for election in 2025. Among the names are three people with ties to the Portland Timbers, including NASL great and Ring of Honor member Clive Charles.
Charles, who played for the club from 1978-81 and was instrumental in the development of soccer in both Portland and various levels of U.S. soccer, is eligible in the Builders category. Charles’ legacy was recognized and celebrated in the release of the Timbers’ third kit in July, called The Clive Kit.
Notably, Charles’ coaching career includes 17 seasons (1986-2002) at the University of Portland, where he led both the men’s and women’s programs. He coached Portland to an NCAA Division I women’s championship in 2002 and collected 439 career combined victories. The players he developed at UP include Hall of Famers Kasey Keller, Shannon MacMillan, Steve Cherundolo and Tiffeny Milbrett. Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair, the all-time leader in international goals scored, was also a former Pilot under Charles.
Charles coached at multiple levels with U.S. Soccer, working with several players who have since been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was the head coach of the United States team that reached the semifinals of the 2000 Olympic Games, and he was an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Among the list of the Hall of Fame’s eligible players are two former Timbers – defender Jorge Villafaña (2014-15; 2018-20) and midfielder Will Johnson (2013-15).
The list of eligible candidates will be narrowed down before the voting committees vote on the final ballot for each category. For more on the National Hall of Fame, visit NationalSoccerHoF.com.
