11/23/2009 - Duke Sports Information

SEATTLE-A trio of former Blue Devils captured the 2009 MLS Cup yesterday evening as Real Salt Lake defeated the LA Galaxy 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout to win the first trophy in club history. Duke's own Robbie Russell buried the winning penalty kick in the seventh round of the shootout. RSL's head coach Jason Kreis and General Manager, Garth Lagerway also are both products of Duke.

Russell, a second team All-America in 2000, joined Real Salt Lake in 2008 after playing in Europe for eight seasons. He started 16 games this season and played in 17 contests overall for RSL, providing two assists in his defensive role.

Former Blue Devil and current Real Salt Lake head coach, Kreis led RSL to victory in his third season with the club. Kreis took over the reins on May 3, 2007 when RSL Owner Dave Checketts tabbed the team's captain, its first player and at the time the league's all-time leading scorer to seize the reins of Utah's Division I professional soccer team.

A two-time All-America first team selection, Kreis currently ranks third in career assists (38), fifth in career points (116) and ninth in career goals (39) in Duke men's soccer history. He also ranks among the top five MLS career leaders in games (305), starts (282), minutes (25,242), shots (818) and shots on goal (370).

Also a major part of the organization is 1995 graduate, Lagerway who joined Real Salt Lake as the team's General Manager and Senior Vice President of Soccer Operations in September of 2007. A four-year letterwinner in goal for the Blue Devils, Lagerway currently ranks third in Duke single season history in saves (100 in 1994) and seventh in shutouts in a season (eight in 1994). He played five seasons in Major League Soccer.

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