Standing in the east end of Starfire, in the area that was apparently deemed the beer garden, I finally felt like I had my first "I was there when" moment.

I've attended probably eight games this season, checking out matches from vantage points all over the stadium -- from the southeast corner flag to the Brougham End to the press box. I have seen the Sounders play international opponents, lose to a last-place team and beat the team led by their former Designated Player. But I feel like Wednesday's victory over Chivas USA could be the first one I've attended that will go down in history.

While the win over the Fire was certainly awesome, at the end of the day it was just another MLS victory. The win in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup has the potential to really mean something.

In the short term, it gives the Sounders a chance to become the first MLS team to ever repeat as champions of the country's longest-running soccer tournament.

From a historical perspective, I think this game will live on for reasons that go beyond that.

For one, this could very well be the last truly significant match to ever be played at tiny Starfire Stadium. Less than 5,000 people were in attendance, but the Sounders probably could have sold at least three times that if the game was at Qwest and properly marketed. Supposedly, the presale for the final is going very well. Combined with what appears to be more of an open mind to the #trophiesnotfriendlies movement, I imagine that we'll see matches like these moved to the big stadium in the future.

For another, this game represented a major moment for fans of the old USL team. Not only did Taylor Graham start and play a magnificent match at centerback, but former USL Sounders teammate Roger Levesque registered an assist on the final goal. Zach Scott, another USL holdover, was on the 18-man roster.

"It's great," Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer said of seeing players he originally signed for the USL team contribute in such a significant way to this team. "I'm mostly happy for them. They toiled at Qwest and Stafire in front of (much smaller crowds), three games in four nights, crappy hotels, no team meals, like the whole minor-league deal. Now for them to be a part of this big organization and hopefully to be treated the way they want to be treated, I'm just happy for them."

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The Rave Green of Seattle couldn't have played this match any better. There was great ball movement on both wings, but the exceptional skills of Steve Zakuani really proved the difference. His ball work on the left was instrumental in creating goals. Each of the first two of the match were due to Zakuani's superb play.

Nate Jaqua scored the first and third goal of the match. The third was off of a Roger Levesque feed.

Fredy Montero was so lazy that he scored while laying down today. He laid himself out to reach the Zakuani pass and slotted it past Zach Thornton.

One of the surprises this evening was in the first half when Justin Braun had two opportunities to go one-on-one with Keller and on both occasions instead passed the ball. He just didn't have the scoring mentality this evening. The other, and even more pleasant surprise, was that Taylor Graham and Tyrone Marshall both looked very solid in defense. They were ball winners in the air, at their feet and even laying themselves on the ground on occasion.

In all this was one of the more complete games the Sounders have played. They did it with a mostly best XI against a mostly best XI for Chivas USA.

The victory advances Seattle to the US Open Cup Final for a second year in a row, after four straight appearances in the semi-final.

Much praise must also be said to the Chivas USA supporters who rode 18 hours in a van for a US Open Cup semi-final on a weeknight. Their support was solid, and their camaraderie post-game was great.

Stats and quotes after the jump

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Quick Reference Card with Lineup as Guessed By You | Fortress Starfire | Justin Braun (from DSF)

Remember when Seattle wins this match the Sounders will host the US Open Cup Final at Qwest Field.

Chivas USA has some issues with the number of international players in their regular lineup, and so the USSF rule for the Open Cup about only having 5 "internationals" probably limits them from starting a truly strong squad. It is also Chivas USA a team that has had a pretty bad year. But, they've made the Semi Final and have a solid keeper (one who haunts Seattle) and so they have a chance.

What can Seattle do to win?

1 - Use Wing Speed to Create Width - Yes, I know Starfire is narrow and plays narrower, but width is really about space. One way to create space is to use fast wing players to make those deep runs and stretch the defense. Whether or not they have the ball this still pulls a defender away from what can become a very crowded center.

2 - Stop Justin Braun - To quote the DSF story linked above about him "Think Brian Ching, only younger, bigger, faster and packing more athleticism." That's a pretty good player. I'd stop him probably by just marking him with one of the bulky centerbacks. Tyrone Marshall would be my favorite in that role. Aggressive, with a reputation for fouling, Marshall's veteran wiles could slow Braun down, and then the lack of space means help is always near.

3 - Score a Goal - Yeah, I know. But Zach Thornton has Seattle's number to this point, so its time for something different. Lateral ball movement should help. But this is a monkey, a mountain of a monkey, on Seattle's back. They need an early goal in order to not be thinking late "we'll never get one."

4 - Play Mike Fucito - Because seriously, he's already got a stoppage time winner, and if Stephen King is going to go down in Sounders lore, why can't "the Harvard kid?" Mike's low center of gravity, thick frame, pace and proven scoring ability scream for a game at Starfire.

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DC United v Columbus Crew in the other match-up

Sounders vs. Chivas, USOC semi

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Projecting lineups for any U.S. Open Cup game is difficult. Once it gets to this stage, that may be even more true. I'm not sure it's safe to really assume anything.

What we decided to do was go with the group on this one, at least for the Sounders lineup.

The overwhelming picks were Kasey Keller, Steve Zakuani, Nate Jaqua, Tyrone Marshall and Leo Gonzalez. Fredy Montero, Nathan Sturgis and James Riley also received relatively clear decisions. Where it got more contentious was at the second CM position, right wing and the second CB.

Jeff Parke narrowly beat out Taylor Graham; Miguel Montano got the nod over Mike Fucito; and Osvaldo Alonso is inserted via veteran tiebreaker over Mike Seamon.

Chivas USA uses a lot of internationals, so they're lineup is really guesswork since their normal rotation has eight and they can only use five in this match. It looks like they'll barely have enough U.S. players to field an 18-man team, and that will include several very young players with almost no experience.

Here's the printable version: Sounders vs. Chivas, USOC semis

More photos » Otto Greule Jr - Getty Images

Nate Jaqua is one of the Sounders more physical players and, not coincidentally has played well at Starfire.

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Stephen King played in a grand total of 15 competitive matches during his slightly more than one season with the Sounders. His official MLS record shows less than 500 minutes spent on the pitch in Rave Green.

Yet, many Sounders fans have a special place in their heart for a player who never even made the 18-man roster during the first six matches of this season.

The reason is relatively simple.

King's goal in the fourth minute of overtime during last season's U.S. Open Cup semifinal against the Houston Dynamo sent the Sounders to their first Open Cup championship match -- after the USL team had fallen in the semis each of the previous two seasons -- and allowed the Sounders to win a trophy during their first season in MLS.

It was also the biggest highlight in a match full of them. From the collision that caused Nate Jaqua to play most of the match with a bandage wrapped around his head (and begat the Twitter personality @ZombieJaqua) to the equalizing goal Jaqua scored in the 89th minute to King's eventual game-winner and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado's overtime ejection, the match is considered by many who were there to be the most exciting ever played in the Sounders' still young MLS history.

That it was also played at tiny Starfire Sports Complex hardly seems to be a coincidence.

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UPDATE: With the lineup for this match being a bit of a crapshoot, we've decided to have some fun with our projected lineup. Instead of taking our best guess, we're going to use the power of groups. At about 11 a.m., we'll take all the submitted lineups and create a projected lineup from your predictions. We've got about 10 in there now, if you'd like to participate please submit ASAP.

(On the lineup for tomorrow . . .) “If we think a guy is ready, we are going to play him. We are looking at situations, ‘Oh, OK. This guy has done well at training. It’s pretty close between these two guys. So maybe this guy has got a knock or is a little bit fatigued so we are going to make a change there.’ But in general, we are going to try and play the guys who are ready and able and healthy and well and it’s going to be our best team that we put out there.”

That's Coach Sigi Schmid at practice today.

Now, Jeremiah and I are in that period of time where we bat around ideas and guesses for the lineup cards. Normally we do fairly well. In fact, for tomorrow we have agreed on every position but one.

But I'm interested in what you guys think that bolded line means, and who you think will be starting.

As Mike Seamon went to defend a corner kick shortly after a Sounders goal, he recalled barely being able to breathe. 

"There was all this smoke," he said with a grin. "Some of them, I don't even think they were watching the game. They were still hugging each other and jumping. I just looked up there and said 'Oh my gosh.'"

The smoke was created by flares and other devices set off in the Emerald City Supporters section of the stands, which seemed be even more boisterous than at many Qwest matches. 

As usual, their chanting, dancing and flag waving was almost nonstop. There may have been just a tick over 4,500 fans in attendance on Wednesday -- about a fifth of what normally show up for games at Qwest -- but almost all of them seemed to be actively engaged in the match. Combined, it created what is almost certainly the greatest atmosphere in U.S. Open Cup competition.

So far, results would seem to indicate that it's also the best homefield advantage. The Sounders have won their last seven USOC matches at the Tukwila facility -- dating back to their 2007 loss to FC Dallas in the semifinals -- and have won nine of their past 10 matches against MLS opponents there, including four as a member of the USL.

"I enjoy it, it's fun," Sounders forward Nate Jaqua said about playing at Starfire. "The fans are right on top of you, it's loud and I like the fact that they put in new turf. It slows it down and you can find pockets of play where as last year the ball was just bouncing all over the place."

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For the fourth straight year the Seattle Sounders have advanced to the US Open Cup Semi Final Round. This year's opponent dropped from the nation's oldest soccer tournament were the LA Galaxy who started a mix of substitutes and rotational players against Seattle's Reservists and Subs. Jeremiah and I got 10 Sounders' starter correct, and 8 for the Galaxy, which is pretty good guessing in this type of thing.

Seattle put up two goals, but challenged Saunders so much more than that. Much of the threatening play in the first half was inside his box. In the second half those threats became goals. It was clear that the Sounders enjoyed Nate Jaqua making his return to the starting lineup, as in the second half he netted two goals, but also threatened a half dozen other times.

We saw some great signs from Seamon, as his play as an Center Attacking Mid, while light on the brilliant passing, was solid as a collector of bad Galaxy passes, and a pivot who could switch the ball from side to side. Both wingers (Sanna Nyassi and Migueal Montano) had speed and foot skills that the Galaxy defense couldn't handle. It became clear that several player deserve a bit more time than they have been getting, as unlike last year, Seattle went with an inexperienced lineup to crush a team that started veterans and highly skilled youngsters.

Sigi, and you, should have seen great signs tonight. Seattle advances in the Open Cup and is now two matches from a Major Trophy. But there were also some things that give us a glimpse of something a little different from the Sounders.

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