[U.S. OPEN CUP] Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid says the talk can begin. The Sounders will go for an unprecedented fourth straight Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup thanks to their 4-1 win over Chivas USA in Wednesday's semifinals at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

The win sent the Sounders into the Aug. 8 final at Sporting Kansas City.

"It's real now, so we can talk about trying to win four in a row," said Schmid. "Obviously, it'll be difficult being away from home -- playing at Kansas City. It would have been great to play at home because I think we would have more than we had last year. Who knows, maybe we would have sold out the whole place -- 60,000-plus. But we're going to Kansas City. The first one we won on the road and we're going to try to win the fourth one on the road."

Eddie Johnson opened the scoring against Chivas USA in the 31st minute when Osvaldo Alonso played him behind the defense on a well-placed pass. Johnson beat Chivas keeper Dan Kennedy from outside the area for his first Open Cup goal with the Sounders.

Alonso added a goal of his own, as did Brad Evans and Sammy Ochoa for Seattle. Chivas USA had temporarily cut Seattle's lead to 2-1 with Cesar Romero's 74th-minute goal,

Seattle is vying to become the first team in the 99-year history of the Open Cup to win four consecutive championships.

St. Louis-based Stix, Baer and Fuller reached six straight finals (1932-1937). The team was known as the St. Louis Central Breweries in 1935 and the St. Louis Shamrocks in 1936 and 1937.

Bethlehem Steel advanced to the finals of the tournament five straight years from 1915-1919, winning the title four times in that span and settling for a runner-up finish in 1917.