III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 361 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; 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 outstanding representatives for the State of Utah both on and off the field: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)congratulates Real Salt Lake for winning the 2009 Major League Soccer Cup; (2)recognizes the achievements of the players, coaches, and staff whose hard work and dedication helped Real Salt Lake win the championship; and (3)respectfully directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to Real Salt Lake for appropriate display, as well as owner Dave Checketts and head coach Jason Kreis.