Last Thursday FC Kansas City beat the Seattle Reign in the NWSL Championship match. It was a huge occasion for the league; the game was played in Portland in front of 13,000 fans and broadcast nationwide. Being a part of such a showcase event was obviously a huge honor for both of the teams, but only one could be named champion. FC Kansas City came out on top of a hard fought affair with a 1-0 victory.
The win made FC Kansas City back to back NWSL Champions; the first team ever to earn that title. Even though the league is still in its infancy, it is an accomplishment that will go down in history, and rightly so.
Soon after the victory we emailed midfielder Yael Averbuch and defender Rebecca Moros of FC Kansas City some questions about the match. It was only a quick overview of the championship match, but it gave us some good insights into their reactions to the match.
Averbuch on the key to shutting out the Seattle Reign, who scored nine more goals than any other team in the league during the regular season.
We talked about being very aware of Seattle's special players and not allowing them to do what makes them special. But also a big part to stopping their game plan was to make them defend us, which I think we did very well.
Rebecca Moros on how she stayed focus throughout the full 90 minutes of the NWSL Championship.
Staying focused was the easy part. When you have top players like Little, Fishlock, Yanez, etc., running at you with the ball and making runs in behind there is no room to lose concentration. We were prepared for that.
Averbuch and Moros on what the major factor was that contributed to the NWSL Championship wining goal.
YA: I think a huge factor was our team's patience and A-Rod's focus to be ready for that one moment. She didn't get as many chances as she has in other games but she was prepared for the one that mattered.
RM: I think many things play into each moment on the field. That goal boils down to Heather's run into dangerous space and the speed of the ball finding her in behind Seattle's defense. She crossed the ball beautifully, and A-Rod finished it beautifully.
They both agree that it feels great to be a national champion.
RM: It feels unbelievable. It's everything I've been working for.
YA: Winning a championship is very special, but this one is especially important to me because we were able to repeat as champions (although I wasn't part of the team last season). To me, that is a huge statement about FC Kansas City as a team and a club. I'm very proud to be a part of it.
But as for celebrations, it seems that the team has already had its fill.
RM: We celebrated after the game together, eating and spending time with family. Most of us have been away from home and our families for six months, so everyone is eager to get back.
YA: We all spent time together with friends and family last night after popping some champagne in the locker room. Now's it's time to all go our separate ways for the offseason.
Enjoy the rest this offseason, ladies, and keep an eye on that three-peat!
Photo: @NWSL
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