Chris Wingert is a native of Babylon, NY and played his LIJSL travel soccer as a member of the Commack Soccer Club.  He went on to star at St. John the Baptist HS, and then at St. John’s University where he won the 2003 Hermann Trophy as the best collegiate soccer player in the nation.  He was the 12^th player selected in the 2004 MLS draft, and is now in his 7^th season in the league, winning the MLS Cup as a member of Real Salt Lake in 2009.

Chris will be checking in weekly with LIJSoccer.com to update us on his MLS season and RSL’s play in Champions League games.

Early spring is a busy time of year for Real Salt Lake’s Chris Wingert.  While he and his teammates are in Arizona training for the beginning of the MLS season, they are also competing in the opening rounds of the CONCACAF Champions League.  That has gone well thus far, as RSL is unbeaten in two contests against the Columbus Crew, and a 2-0 victory over Deportivo Saprissa.  Wingert suffered a sprained ankle against the Crew last week, so he didn’t dress for the game, but felt good about his team’s win.

“The guys played well,” Wingert told LIJSoccer.com.  We won 2-0, which was a nice win for us.  Our goal is to advance to the semi-final round, so winning these games early on is important.  We can now start looking forward to the second leg of Champions League games on April 5^th.”

The winning continued this past week as RSL defeated San Jose on the road in their MLS opener with Wingert back in the lineup, and now this week’s preparations will be geared towards this weekend’s home match against the LA Galaxy.

“We’ve played very well at home,” Wingert said.  “We’ve got a 35-game unbeaten streak there.  A big reason for that is the support we get.  The weather hasn’t really been ideal.  It’s still cold and snowing here in Utah, but we’re still getting 15-17,000 fans at the games.

“But there are other reasons, too,” he continued.  “We have a beautiful stadium, with a great pitch, and our style of play is fun to watch.  We play possession-oriented soccer, which is appealing to the fans, I think.  As a result, we get a lot of people at the games.  That creates a nice home field advantage.  On top of that, Salt Lake City is at a pretty high altitude, so the air is thinner.  That takes some getting used to for players who don’t normally play here, so it’s a physical disadvantage for them, but I think it can also be mental.  Guys sometimes come in here thinking they are going to have trouble playing in the altitude.  That can be as much of an advantage for our team as anything else.”

Wingert and his teammates hardly seem to need more advantages.  Two recent rankings in Soccer America list RSL as the MLS team with the best defense, the best midfield unit, and a favorite to make a run at another MLS championship.

“We feel confident about the way we are playing, and I think we feel good about where we are as a team right now,” Wingert explained.  “The management of the team has done a very good job of keeping the core of this team together.  They re-signed three important players this offseason, including Nat Borchers, and they seem to sign a couple of those key guys each year.  That kind of commitment from the organization helps us to maintain good chemistry on the field, and helps us to play consistently well over time.”

“But honestly, we’re not really worried about the MLS Cup,” he continued.  “That’s obviously a goal of ours, but it’s only March.  We’re focused on trying to advance to the finals of the Champions League and get some early regular season wins under our belt.”

That kind of matter of fact approach helps keep the team mentally sharp through the maze of multiple games and training sessions.

“It’s not easy to stay focused.  We have to concentrate on the task at hand,” Wingert said.  “We did a good job of that last year and advanced within our Champions Cup group.  Now we have to make sure not to get too caught up in what’s coming up.  It’s definitely a one game at a time attitude.  We just have to keep focusing on the next game.”

Questions for Chris

Each week, Chris will answer randomly selected questions from our readers.  To submit a question for Chris, e-mail the LIJSoccer.com staff at kenlijsl@ix.netcom.com.   This week’s question:

How different is it living in Utah after growing up on Long Island?

“It’s a lot different here, but I love it.  I just bought a house in Park City (UT).  The biggest difference for me is that we’re landlocked here.  There are no beaches, and I miss that.  I miss having the ocean right there.  It’s beautiful, though, and the mountains are right there when you walk out your door.  It’s great for the skiers and snowboarders, but we aren’t allowed to do any of those things.  They don’t want us getting hurt.  It’s like a big tease.  There’s not as much traffic, which is a good thing.  It’s definitely a slower pace here, and you lose a lot of what New York has to offer.  Still, I like it here, and I really like the guys on the team, so I’d like to stay here for the rest of my career.”