
The Forecast tips its hat to Seattle and D.C. United for their efforts to drum up interest in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before proceeding to the Week Nineteen slate.
SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.






The England midfielder Steven Gerrard was today found not guilty of affray over a brawl he had in a Merseyside bar. Liverpool’s club captain admitted punching Marcus McGee, 34, a businessman, but said he acted in self-defence after a row over the music being played at the Lounge Inn in Southport.






What: Gold Cup semifinal
When: 7:00 ET, Thursday, July 23
Where: Soldier Field; Chicago IL
TV: Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura






The news of Livorno’s interest in Donovan, the U.S. National Team’s all-time leading scorer, emerged on Tuesday when club president Aldo Spinelli claimed he was preparing a bid. He is looking to bolster his attacking corps, which currently includes former Italy international Cristiano Lucarelli and veteran Francesco Tavano. Questions linger whether the small Tuscan side has the financial capabilities to wrest Donovan from MLS, given the striker’s raised profile after a strong performance at the Confederations Cup.












Eriksson, who has signed a five-year contract at Meadow Lane and will work alongside current manager Ian McParland and former England assistant Tord Grip, also revealed he would be moving to live in the Nottingham area.
Like nearly all Portuguese clubs, FC Porto have been struggling under the millstone of debt but, remarkably, the side who have won the league for the past four years have continued to develop despite a transfer policy that sees them sell their best players almost every season. Since Jose Mourinho brought the UEFA Champions League title to Portugal in 2003-04, the club have raised an incredible €300m from a succession of top quality internationals who have sought to further their careers at some of Europe's top clubs.








A couple of decades ago when I worked in the West End of London, I used to frequent a little Italian café, sadly no longer in existence, so I could watch the Serie A on their satellite TV.
The main draw for me was a Brazilian midfielder called Toninho Cerezo. One of his compatriots once ingeniously described Cerezo as having the appearance of two little men, one on top of the other, both trying to run in different directions. He could indeed look a little ungainly. But few players have ever run a midfield with so much elegance.

