Here's my game story. Sounders advance to the U.S. Open Cup and will meet Kansas City at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Starfire. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday.

However, the Sounders seemed to have fun tonight far beyond merely advancing in the Cup. Everyone seemed really energized to play in a stadium with this kind of buzz tonight.

As we were doing our interviews outside the locker room, we could hear the Sounders singing: "Jingle bells, jingle bell, jingle all the way; oh was fun it is (something something) when the Sounders win away."

I'm not sure if they showed it on TV, but the Roger Levesque also had a little fun after his first-minute goal put Seattle ahead.

“I actually had a celebration planned with Nate Jaqua, running over to the corner: I was the tree and he cut me down, and I kind of fell over,” Lesveque said. “That was for the fans. We were just disappointed it was on this end of the field and not over (by the Timbers Army supporters group).”

While clearly enjoying himself, Levesque also gave the Timbers supporters their due.

“I’ve played a lot of games on this pitch,” he said. “I’ve had some good memories and I’ve also been on the other end of it. … They’ve always had a really strong support system – the best in the USL hands down. We didn’t expect anything less tonight. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. Whether that Timbers Army is booing you or cheering for you, it’s great for soccer in the Northwest.”

Sounder after Sounder praised the crowd. Kasey Keller even implied -- perhaps seriously -- that he might extend his career to 2011 so that he'll be around for Seattle's rivalries with Portland and Vancouver.

“This rivalry is going to be tremendous,” Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. “When the stadium gets revamped a little bit more, they get stands around the whole field, the put a better surface down, there’s going to be some good football played here. And I think everyone’s extremely excited about 2011. I really see myself having to play at least one more year (after the current two-year contract) because I really want to be a part of this if my body’s willing.”

As for what happened on the pitch, coach Sigi Schmid seemed happy too, with reservations.

“Obviously we got off to a great start: We scored a great early goal,” Schmid said. “The second goal was well-taken, as well. We were around the goal at times. We let them back in it by giving up the goal late in the first half. … But that’s what these games are. They aren’t always pretty. Sometimes they’re the kinds of games where you have to roll up your sleeves and that’s what we did in the second half.”

The Sounders return to league action July 11, when the league-leading Houston Dynamo visits Qwest Field.

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Just arrived in Portland to find this notice:

The Portland Timbers today announced that the team will place 400 standing-room-only tickets on sale for tonight’s U.S. Open Cup match against Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC. The standing-room-only tickets will be available exclusively at the PGE Park box office on 18th and Morrison beginning at 5 p.m. tonight.

The standing-room-only tickets are $15. Ticket orders will be limited to four (4) per person. As of noon today, only a select few seats remained for tonight’s match.

Gates open at 6 p.m. for tonight’s 7 p.m. match against Seattle, and fans are encouraged to arrive early as the result of the expected sellout crowd for the third-round U.S. Open Cup match between the two Northwest rivals.

By the way, it is full-sun down here, hot and getting hotter. The temperature is suppose to peak just under 90 and should still be in the 80s for most of the game.

Word from Portland this morning that they are within a few hundred tickets of a sellout for the U.S. Open Cup match at 7 tonight. The game also will be on FSN (after the Mariners).

I'm getting an early start down I-5, so I likely won't be posting again for a while. But in the meantime:

Here's my game preview from this morning's paper.

And here's a preview from The Oregonian.

And finally, here's a wrap of last night's U.S. Open Cup action, where MLS sides didn't fare so well. However, you will notice that one of the MLS sides that did advance is Kansas City -- and that's who awaits tonight's Sounders-Timbers winner. And if it's the Sounders, the game will be played Tuesday at Starfire.