I'm in Kansas City now, away from the Terrell Owens media circus, digging into a plate of ribs and anticipating the real reason I'm here -- to cover the Sounders FC's attempt to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive U.S. Open Cup.

It's going to be a fun and hot night. It's already 94 degrees here. It's supposed to top out at 96, but by the time the match begins, it's expected to be a "cool" 87. I'm expecting a terrific championship match between Seattle and Sporting KC, and this figures to be the most difficult of the Sounders' four appearances in the title game.

I'm going to take over the Sounders FC blog for a day. It's been too quiet since beat writer Josh Mayers took his break to get married. So, check me out there for the rest of the day.