NWSL: Seattle and FC Kansas City set for rematch in final

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Sep 14, 2015

For the second year in a row, regular-season champion Seattle Reign FC and FC Kansas City will play for the NWSL championship. Last year, Kansas City won in Seattle, 2-1. This year, they will meet in the final Oct. 1 after both teams won Sunday's semifinals, 3-0. Seattle needed three goals in the last 20 minutes to put away Washington, while FCKC blitzed Chicago.

Seattle needed 71 minutes before it opened the scoring on a goal by Beverly Yanez with her first touch of the game. Yanez scored nine goals for the Reign in 2015 but a hip injury kept her out of the starting lineup.

The Reign then cruised with second goal from Megan Rapinoe four minutes later and Mariah Bullock's insurance goal in the 89th minute, also with her first touch after entering the game as a sub.

Sept. 13 in Seattle
Seattle 3 Washington 0. Goals: Yanez (Rapinoe) 71, Rapinoe (Little) 75, Bullock 89.
Seattle -- Solo, Barnes, Corsie, Fletcher, Cox, Mathias (Reed 82), Fishlock, Winters, Rapinoe (Bullock 89), Veje (Yanez 71), Little.
Washington -- Harris, Reynolds, Oyster, Johnson, Church, Salem (Huster 85), Nairn, Ordega (Lohman 74), Dunn, Matheson, Raso (DaCosta 46).
Att.: 5,021.

Sunday's first game was quickly over as Amy Rodriguez scored twice and Erika Tymrak added the third goal in the first 35 minutes for FC Kansas City whose experience was too much for the Red Stars, who were making their NWSL postseason debut.

FCKC started seven U.S. internationals, including four who played in the 2015 Women's World Cup: Lauren Holiday, Becky Sauerbrunn, Heather O'Reilly, who had two assists, and Rodriguez.

The Red Stars moved the game to the Chicago Fire's Toyota Park but only drew an announced crowd of 3,031 fans.

Sept. 13 in Bridgeview, Ill.
Chicago 0 FC Kansas City 3. Goals: Rodriguez 16, Tymrak (O’Reilly) 21 Rodriguez (O’Reilly) 35.
Chicago -- Dalton, Gilliland, Johnston, Erceg (Johnson 46), Hemmings, Colaprico, Chalupny, Mautz (Huerta 46), DiBernardo, Hoy (Tancredi 59), Press.
FC Kansas City -- Barnhart, Robinson, LePeilbet, Sauerbrunn, Moros, Buczkowski, Laddish (Averbuch 63), Tymrak (Silva 72), O’Reilly, Holiday, Rodriguez (Groom 89).
Att.: 3,031.