John Best (soccer)

John Best

Personal information
Date of birth	(1940-07-11)11 July 1940
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Date of death	5 October 2014(2014-10-05) (aged 74)
Place of death	Ireland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1958–1960	Liverpool	0	(0)
1960–1961	Tranmere Rovers	7	(0)
1961–1962		0	(0)
1962–1967	Philadelphia Ukrainians
1967	Philadelphia Spartans	12	(1)
1968	Cleveland Stokers	32	(0)
1968–1969	California Jaguars
1969–1973	Dallas Tornado	93	(0)
1971	Dallas Tornado (indoor)	2	(1)
1974	Seattle Sounders	0	(0)
National team
1973	United States	1	(0)
Teams managed
1974–1976	Seattle Sounders
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

John Best (11 July 1940 – 5 October 2014) was an American international soccer defender. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League where he was a five time first team All Star. He later coached the NASL Seattle Sounders and served as the general manager of the Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1973.

Best began his career in England. Although this portion of his life is vague,he played for Liverpool FC in 1959 under the new manager, Bill Shankly, after which he played seven games with Tranmere Rovers in 1960. In 1967, he moved to the United States where he signed with the Philadelphia Spartans of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). In 1968, the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. When the Spartans folded, Best and several of his teammates, transferred to the Cleveland Stokers for the 1969 NASL season. When the Stokers folded at the end of the season, he moved to the Dallas Tornado (NASL). From 1969 to 1973, he played in ninety-three games and was a five-time first team All Star. In 1971, the Tornado won the NASL championship. Best retired at the end of the 1973 season.

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