III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 361 

Commending Real Salt Lake for winning the 2009 Major League Soccer 

Cup. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 30, 2009 

Mr. BENNETT (for himself and Mr. HATCH) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commending Real Salt Lake for winning the 2009 Major 

League Soccer Cup. 

Whereas, on November 22, 2009, Real Salt Lake (RSL) won 

the Major League Soccer Cup in front of 46,011 fans in 

Seattle, Washington; 

Whereas RSL overcame substantial obstacles to outplay and 

outlast the formidable Los Angeles Galaxy in the championship game; 

Whereas RSL began the second half trailing the Galaxy by 

a score of 1–0 and were also without starter Will Johnson and key playmaker Javier Morales; 

Whereas Robbie Findley scored for RSL in the 64th minute 

to tie the game at 1–1; 


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•SRES 361 IS 

Whereas RSL won by a score of 5–4 in the seventh round 

of penalty kicks on a shot by Robbie Russell; 

Whereas RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando made more saves 

than any other goalkeeper in the 2009 Major League 

Soccer (MLS) playoffs, as he stopped 2 penalty kicks 

during the final shootout and was named the MLS Cup 

Most Valuable Player; 

Whereas RSL head coach Jason Kreis, at age 36, became the 

youngest manager to win a MLS title; 

Whereas the MLS Cup victory capped off an improbable season for RSL, as the team accumulated an 11–12–7 

record during the regular season but went on to become 

the first franchise in professional sports history to win a 

championship after finishing the regular season without 

a winning record; 

Whereas the victory in the championship game was the second straight shootout win for RSL, after beating the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Championship by a 

score of 5–4 on penalties; 

Whereas RSL defeated the defending MLS champion Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, winning 

4–2 on aggregate; 

Whereas Salt Lake City, Utah, has been home to RSL since 

the team’s founding in 2005; 

Whereas the people of the State of Utah have provided stalwart support for RSL and deserve to celebrate this championship, which is the first professional sports crown in 

the State of Utah since 1971; and 

Whereas the players of RSL are good role models to young 

athletes for their hard work, tenacity, and determination 

in the face of difficult obstacles, and have served as outVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:13 Nov 30, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR361.IS SR361

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•SRES 361 IS 

standing representatives for the State of Utah both on 

and off the field: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates Real Salt Lake for winning 

3 the 2009 Major League Soccer Cup; 

4 (2) recognizes the achievements of the players, 

5 coaches, and staff whose hard work and dedication 

6 helped Real Salt Lake win the championship; and 

7 (3) respectfully directs the Secretary of the 

8 Senate to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu9 tion to Real Salt Lake for appropriate display, as 

10 well as owner Dave Checketts and head coach Jason 

11 Kreis. 

Æ 


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