Recognizing Real Salt Lake Soccer Team

Floor Speech

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise and offer my congratulations to the Real Salt Lake soccer team, the newly crowned champions of Major League Soccer. While Utah has a number of sports teams with proud traditions--both collegiate and professional--Real Salt Lake has brought to my home State its first major professional championship since 1971, when the Utah Stars won the ABA title. Fans throughout Utah are thrilled.

Real Salt Lake came to Utah in 2004 and faced difficulties during its first three seasons. In just its fourth season, however, Real Salt Lake made an improbable run to the Western Conference Finals, despite only sneaking into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. They eventually lost that game by a score of 1-0, but with their first playoff appearance, and opening their new world class soccer-specific stadium, their future was filled with promising signs.

In 2009 Real Salt Lake delivered on that promise. Once again, it was the last team to qualify for the playoffs and was the lowest overall seed. Despite barely squeaking into the playoffs, this team of overachievers sure made some noise once they got there. They quickly reeled off a string of consecutive upsets against glitzier opponents with established stars, dispatching top-seeded and defending MLS champion Columbus and then powerhouse Chicago and its star Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

On November 22, the title game in Seattle pitted the little-known upstarts of Real Salt Lake against the Western Conference champions, the Los Angeles Galaxy and its mega-stars Landon Donovan and David Beckham. After 90 minutes of regulation play and 30 minutes of overtime, the game remained tied at 1-1. In the penalty kick shootout, Real Salt Lake emerged victorious 5-4 as Donovan's potential game-tying spot kick sailed harmlessly over the crossbar. Real Salt Lake had delivered the first championship of its kind in Utah in nearly four decades--and it couldn't have come in a more exciting fashion or to a more deserving group of athletes.

In the end, it wasn't the Galaxy of stars that prevailed; it was Real Salt Lake with its philosophy that mirrors the words emblazoned on the sign in its home locker room: ``THE TEAM IS THE STAR.'' That teamwork was certainly on display in the title tilt against Los Angeles. It was reflected in Real Salt Lake Robbie Findley's breakout 64th-minute strike that knotted the score at 1-1 and made the team's overtime and penalty kick heroics possible. It was reflected in the play of Salt Lake goalkeeper and Cup final MVP Nick Rimando, who turned away penalties from L.A.'s Jovan Kirovski and Edson Buddle before besting Donovan. Finally, RSL's determination to overcome the odds also mirrors that of its owner, Dave Checketts, coach Jason Kreis and general manager Garth Lagerwey--all of whom turned the team into a champion despite the naysayers who said it couldn't be done.

No, Real Salt Lake's roster did not have the league's biggest stars. But in the words of midfielder Clint Mathis, better known as Cletus, RSL was ``the better team in every game.'' As much as anything else, that explains why champion Real Salt Lake is now the brightest light in MSL's firmament.

Once again, I congratulate Real Salt Lake on this accomplishment. Senator Bennett and I have introduced a resolution expressing the Senate's congratulations for Real Salt Lake and I urge my colleagues to offer their support.

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