Sam Kerr might be the star import in the American women’s football league. But it was Sydney FC’s American imports to the W-League who turned the tables on the celebrated Matildas striker to give the Sky Blues their third grand final triumph with a well-deserved 4-2 win.

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Two goals from South Carolinian Savannah McCaskill and one from fellow American Sofia Huerta were enough to see off the challenge of Perth Glory. The homegrown Chloe Logarzo added the fourth late in the second half of a richly entertaining contest enjoyed by a record grand final crowd of 6,127 at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah on Saturday afternoon.

It was tough on Kerr, who strained every sinew for the cause, but she will just have to wait for the career-defining silverware for her hometown club. That wait might be a very long one if as suspected she sells her skills to the highest bidder in Europe next season.

The strains of Advance Australia Fair had barely died down when Sydney’s imports were threatening to make the Star Spangled Banner a more appropriate soundtrack for the season’s climax.

As early as the second minute, the bustling McCaskill advanced on an excellent cross from Princess Ibini with the goalkeeper, Eliza Campbell, helpless. But the No 10, who barely had a bad touch all game, somehow managed to volley against the crossbar when it seemed easier to score.

It was a shocking letoff, but one forgotten by the sixth minute when Huerta strode forward majestically from right back to thump an unstoppable drive past Campbell from 20 yards after the ball was played across the face of the area.

Such a strike might have merited another go for the Idahoan when Sydney won a free-kick on the edge of the box. But Alanna Kennedy pulled rank only to loft the ball tamely over.

Sydney were in overdrive by this point with Logarzo and Caitlin Foord, all eager running and jinking feet, at the heart of much of their best work.

At the other end, Kerr had been starved of possession but, from her side’s first corner, she was first to the delivery and flashed a header wide.

It was a warning sign that Sydney did not heed. Kerr was again free in the area and Danielle Colaprico, her Chicago teammate, overcommitted in the tackle and the Perth player with 20 on her jersey picked herself up to fire in the penalty – but only just. It wasn’t the strike of one of the best players in the world and Aubrey Bledsoe nearly saved to her right.

Glory, who were battling a stiff breeze, were suddenly the ones with the wind in their sails. The tackles were flying in from their midfield trio of Leticia McKenna, Shannon May and Nikki Stanton and how wonderful it is to watch a football match where players don’t roll around in faux agony after a decent challenge.

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Further up the field, Kerr and her less celebrated striking partner, Rachel Hill, were benefiting from the midfielders’ tenacity and were beginning to stretch the Sydney defence. One well-worked combination saw Kerr thump a low shot that Bledsoe had to make sure she took cleanly with Hill lurking for any loose ball. Then only a superb tackle by Kennedy prevented Kerr from unleashing inside the area as the contest between the two Matildas intensified.

But the momentum switched again with five minutes of the first half left when a lofted ball from Foord found McCaskill running into the area and she cleverly flicked a header over the advancing ‘keeper.

Sydney settled better after the break with Princess Ibini’s fine run bringing an excellent diving save from Campbell. It was now Sydney’s tidy midfield trio of Logarzo, Colaprico and Teresa Polias who were pulling the strings, frequently releasing Huerta for powerful runs that were beginning to terrorise the Perth left-back Jamie-Lee Gale.

Just after the hour, Perth failed to clear a corner and McCaskill was suddenly in space on the edge of the six-yard box. Her first touch was sure, her second was an angled shot across Campbell and it was 3-1.

Slightly against the run of play, another American, Alyssa Mautz was quickest to a corner from the right and steered the ball into the top corner to make it 3-2.

But she soon undid her good work minutes later at the other end when a poor defensive touch gave Logarzo a shooting chance from the edge of the area. She made no mistake and it crowned a fine contribution.

Minutes later, Kerr wriggled free in the area. Could she somehow spark another comeback? The answer was emphatically no as first Kennedy and then Polias flew into challenges and the Perth taliswoman was down and outnumbered.

The elusive silverware will have to wait, and Perth lose their third grand final in five years, but Sydney FC deserving winners of a record-equaling third championship.