{{Short description|Women's soccer match in Washington, US}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox football match | title = 2014 NWSL Championship | event = NWSL Championship | image = | imagesize = | team1 = Seattle Reign FC | team1score = 1 | team2 = FC Kansas City | team2score = 2 | date = {{Start date|2014|08|31}} | stadium = Starfire Stadium | city = Tukwila, Washington, U.S. | player_of_the_match1 = Lauren Holiday<br />(FC Kansas City) | player_of_the_match1name = Most Valuable Player | referee = Margaret Domka | attendance = 4,252 | weather = | previous = 2013 | next = 2015 }}

The '''2014 NWSL Championship''' was the second edition of the NWSL Championship, the championship match of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), and took place on August 31, 2014. FC Kansas City won 2–1 against NWSL Shield holders Seattle Reign FC, becoming NWSL champions for the first time. The match took place at Seattle's home Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mls/fc-kansas-city/article1336697.html|title=FC Kansas City beats Seattle 2-1, wins National Women's Soccer League title|last=Wood|first=Terry|date=2014-08-31|work=Kansas City Star|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901111121/https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mls/fc-kansas-city/article1336697.html|archive-date=2014-09-01|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/reign/2024435623_reign01xml.html|title=NWSL title game: Reign FC falls, 2-1, to FC Kansas City|last=Evans|first=Jayda|date=2014-08-31|work=The Seattle Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904105912/http://seattletimes.com/html/reign/2024435623_reign01xml.html|archive-date=2014-09-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2014/08/31/fc-kansas-city-beats-seattle-reign-fc-wins-2014-nwsl-championship/|title=Rodriguez, Holiday combine to lift FC Kansas City past Seattle Reign, to 2014 NWSL Championship|last=Kassouf|first=Jeff|date=2014-08-31|website=The Equalizer|access-date=2025-08-19}}</ref>

==Road to the final==

===Seattle Reign FC=== {{See also|2014 Seattle Reign FC season}}

After missing the playoffs in the NWSL's inaugural season, Seattle Reign FC won the NWSL Shield in the 2014 season with the best record in the league.<ref name="fbr"/> They were led by NWSL Most Valuable Player and NWSL Golden Boot winner Kim Little along with NWSL Team of the Year selections Jess Fishlock and Nahomi Kawasumi.<ref name="fbr"/> In the playoff semifinals, a penalty scored by Little, a penalty saved by Hope Solo, and a goal scored by Megan Rapinoe gave the Reign a 2–1 win over the fourth seed Washington Spirit.<ref name="fbr"/>

===FC Kansas City=== {{See also|2014 FC Kansas City season}} After sweeping the NWSL's inaugural major awards,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2013/08/27/lauren-holiday-cheney-named-2013-nwsl-mvp-fc-kansas-city/|title=Holiday named 2013 NWSL MVP; KC sweeps awards|last=Kassouf|first=Jeff|date=2013-08-27|website=The Equalizer|access-date=2025-08-19}}</ref> FC Kansas City repeated their success in the 2014 season and again placed second in the league standings.<ref name="fbr">{{cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/comps/182/2014/2014-NWSL-Stats|title=2014 NWSL Stats|website=FBref.com|access-date=2025-08-19}}</ref> They were led by returning NWSL Most Valuable Player Lauren Holiday, repeating NWSL Defender of the Year Becky Sauerbrunn, and NWSL Golden Boot runner-up Amy Rodriguez.<ref name="fbr"/> In the playoff semifinals, a rematch from the previous year's playoffs, Rodriguez and Holiday each scored as Kansas City won 2–0 against the defending champion and third seed Portland Thorns FC.<ref name="fbr"/>

==Match==

===Details=== {{Football box | date = August 31, 2014 | time = 12:00pm PDT | team1 = Seattle Reign FC | team2 = FC Kansas City | score = 1–2 | report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20160924053026/https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news-2/jul---sep-2014/2014-nwsl-champions--fc-kansas-city Report] | goals1 = Rapinoe {{goal|86}} | goals2 = Rodriguez {{goal|23||56}} | stadium = Starfire Stadium | location = Tukwila, Washington | attendance = 4,252 | referee = Margaret Domka }}

{| width=92% | |- |{{Football kit | pattern_la=_wide_black_cuff | pattern_b=_SeattleReignFC_14h | pattern_ra=_wide_black_cuff | leftarm=1269d0 | body=000000 | rightarm=1269d0 | shorts=000000 | socks=000000 | title = {{nowrap|Seattle Reign FC}} }} |{{Football kit | pattern_la=_2_transparent_hoops | pattern_b= | pattern_ra=_2_transparent_hoops | pattern_sh= | pattern_s2= | leftarm=0000ff | body=ffffff | rightarm=0000ff | shorts=0000ff | socks=ffffff | title = {{nowrap|FC Kansas City}} }} |}

{| style="width:100%;" |- | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"| {| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |- |colspan="4"| |- !width=25| !!width=25| |- |GK ||'''1'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Hope Solo || {{yel|90+3}} |- |DF ||'''14'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Stephanie Cox |- |DF ||'''3'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Lauren Barnes |- |DF ||'''13'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Kendall Fletcher |- |DF ||'''7'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Elli Reed || || {{suboff|84}} |- |MF ||'''11'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Keelin Winters |- |MF ||'''8'''||{{flagicon|SCO}} Kim Little |- |MF ||'''9'''||{{flagicon|JPN}} Nahomi Kawasumi |- |MF ||'''10'''||{{flagicon|WAL}} Jess Fishlock |- |MF ||'''15'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Megan Rapinoe |- |FW ||'''2'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Sydney Leroux || || {{suboff|67}} |- |colspan=3|'''Substitutes:''' |- |FW ||'''17'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Beverly Goebel || || {{subon|67}} |- |MF ||'''20'''||{{flagicon|SAM}} Mariah Nogueira || || {{subon|84}} |- |colspan=3|'''Manager:''' |- |colspan=4|{{flagicon|USA}} Laura Harvey |} || {| style="font-size:90%; margin:auto" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |- !width=25| !!width=25| |- |GK ||'''18'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Nicole Barnhart |- |DF ||'''14'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Kassey Kallman |- |DF ||'''4'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Becky Sauerbrunn |- |DF ||'''13'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Leigh Ann Robinson |- |DF ||'''23'''||{{flagicon|POL}} Nikki Phillips |- |MF ||'''6'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Jen Buczkowski |- |MF ||'''7'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Jenna Richmond |- |MF ||'''15'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Erika Tymrak || || {{suboff|76}} |- |FW ||'''9'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Merritt Mathias || || {{suboff|71}} |- |FW ||'''8'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Amy Rodriguez || || {{suboff|64}} |- |FW ||'''12'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Lauren Holiday |- |colspan=3|'''Substitutes:''' |- |FW ||'''5'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Liz Bogus || || {{subon|76}} |- |DF ||'''17'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Amy LePeilbet || {{yel|79}} || {{subon|71}} |- |FW ||'''24'''||{{flagicon|USA}} Sarah Hagen || || {{subon|64}} |- |colspan=3|'''Manager:''' |- |colspan=4|{{flagicon|MKD}} Vlatko Andonovski |} |}

{| width=100% style="font-size:90%" | '''Most Valuable Player:''' <br />{{flagicon|USA}} Lauren Holiday

'''Assistant referees:''' <br />Marlene Duffy (United States) <br />Danielle Chesky (United States) <br />'''Fourth official:''' <br />Katja Koroleva (United States) |style="width:60%; vertical-align:top;"| '''Match rules''' *90 minutes. *30 minutes of extra time if necessary. *Penalty shootout if scores still level. *Maximum of three substitutions. |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{2014 in American soccer}} 2014 * Category:Seattle Reign FC Category:FC Kansas City Category:August 2014 sports events in the United States Category:2014 in sports in Washington (state) Category:Soccer in Seattle Category:Soccer competitions in Washington (state)