Around the Forest: USSF extends Dave Sarachan’s contract until end of the year

Timbers

Quick Strikes | Larrys Mabiala has played the full 90 in 21 straight regular-season matches | Portland Timbers
The Cascadia Cup rivalry will be renewed Saturday as the Portland Timbers head north to take on Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field (1:30pm PT, FOX). Here are five numbers to know for #SEAvPOR in the latest Quick Strikes.

Giovanni Savarese's tactical flexibility proving to be critical to Portland Timbers' success | OregonLive.com
After each practice, he would sit in the changing room quietly taking careful notes on the training session. If he wasn't writing, he was eagerly discussing tactics with his teammates. Every so often, he would also ask to talk privately with his coaches about their tactical approach, hoping to better understand why a particular system could be effective against a specific opponent.

Major League Soccer

Minnesota United's Collin Martin comes out as gay
Minnesota United midfielder Collin Martin announced on Friday that he is gay. Martin, 23, becomes the only openly gay male athlete active in a major professional American sports league, following the retirement of LA Galaxy winger Robbie Rogers last November.

Nico Lodeiro thinks history can repeat itself for Sounders FC comeback | MLSsoccer.com
The Seattle Sounders midfielder is the architect behind one of the greatest midseason turnarounds in MLS history, which he spearheaded after he first arrived in MLS halfway through 2016. That year, following a 6-12-2 start, the Sounders rattled off an 8-2-2 stretch to close the season after the Uruguayan playmaker debuted in late July. They eventually rode the historic surge to their first-ever MLS Cup title.

San Jose Earthquakes' Chris Wondolowski: "We will right the ship" | MLSsoccer.com
By virtue of the fact that the San Jose Earthquakes’ annual visit to Stanford Stadium lands just before the Fourth of July, the midsummer edition of the California Clasico has become a convenient time to consider where the Quakes are at in a given season.

Pep in his step, jazz in his soul | 10 Things about NYCFC's Dome Torrent | MLSsoccer.com
Domenec Torrent is the third coach in New York City FC history, and the first to take over during a midseason. He arrives from Manchester City, after an 11-year career as an understudy to Pep Guardiola. In 11 years total under Guardiola between Barcelona, Munich and City, Torrent won 24 trophies.

Warshaw: How will Ben Olsen work Wayne Rooney into the mix at D.C. United? | MLSsoccer.com
“It didn’t bother me if [Thierry] Henry got dropped off by a helicopter, that’s his money,” said Mehdi Ballouchy, an 11-year MLS veteran who ultimately played alongside Henry, David Villa, Frank Lampard, and Andrea Pirlo. “As long they are not a jerk about it, guys really don’t care.”

Stejskal: Chicago Fire weigh options to keep Aleksandar Katai beyond loan | MLSsoccer.com
Aleksandar Katai wants to stay in Chicago. Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic wants to keep him around. Whether the Serbian midfielder will remain with the club after his loan from La Liga side Deportivo Alaves expires this weekend depends less on their mutual desire than on financials.

While Rooney hype grows louder, Mattocks quietly having best MLS season | MLSsoccer.com
With the English superstar finally being announced as D.C.'s newest player after over a month of speculation, Mattocks is a logical candidate to see his minutes reduced as a result. But the 27-year-old Jamaican international isn't making that decision easy.

From Dulles to the Capitol Dome: How Washington welcomed Wayne | MLSsoccer.com
After months of increasingly credible links between English superstar Wayne Rooney and D.C. United, the former Manchester United and Everton attacker landed at Dulles Airport to a raucous welcome Thursday, just hours after his signing as a Designated Player was officially announced.

Baer: What Atlanta United will miss without Darlington Nagbe | MLSsoccer.com
Atlanta United are rolling. The second-year club currently sits at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings and enters its Saturday night match against Orlando City SC (7 pm ET | ESPN — Full TV & streaming info) as the odds-on favorite to take home the trophy, which would be the first in team history.

World Cup

This World Cup has had a bit of everything, and we're not even to the knockout stages
In its own way, every World Cup is a kind of supernova. A four-year cycle of international soccer comes to a bright and fiery end, as it burns up, outshining everything for thousands of miles around it. It’s unique and comes to embody its own time and place, never to be replicated again.

A crowd formed outside Mohamed Salah's house after his address was leaked, so he started signing autographs
A crowd formed around the Liverpool star’s Egyptian home after his address was reportedly leaked on Facebook, according to the BBC’s Shaimaa Khalil. Once a crowd inevitably formed, Salah responded by greeting his fans and signing autographs.

The 2018 World Cup group stage was magical. Pretty soon, FIFA is going to ruin it
There is this moment when it hits you. When you realize that what will become soccer’s fabled history, the stories grandfathers will tell grandkids, is unfolding before your eyes. And man, there’s nothing like it. Nothing at all.

Telemundo suspends hosts who made racist gestures on live TV during World Cup celebration
A pair of Telemundo hosts on the morning show Un Nuevo Dia have been suspended by the network after making racist gestures following South Korea’s 2-0 win over Germany that helped Mexico advance to the Round of 16 in the World Cup on Wednesday.

Power ranking the remaining 2018 World Cup contenders 1-16
There are countless methods for predicting World Cup outcomes. Countless methods for predicting group winners and champions. And most, if not all, are nowhere near as accurate as they purport to be.

MVPs and LVPs of the World Cup group stage
The group stage of the 2018 World Cup is in the books. Of the 32 teams that began the tournament two weeks ago, half are going home and the other half will progress to the Round of 16. Which means it’s an opportune time to take a look back at the most valuable and least valuable players of the tournament’s opening rounds.

United States

Report: Dave Sarachan to stay on as USMNT interim manager through end of year - Stars and Stripes FC
The United States Soccer Federation is still looking for a new permanent head coach for its Men’s National Team. For now, the man captaining the ship will continue to do so. According to a report by Paul Tenorio of The Athletic, American interim manager Dave Sarachan has signed a contract extension to continue as interim mananger through the end of 2018.