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 12th player selected in the 2004 MLS draft, and is now in his 7th 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.

Monday is normally an off day for Real Salt Lake, so when we caught up with Chris Wingert this week he was relaxing and getting ready to focus on another week of practice beginning Tuesday.

“We haven’t had a normal week in a long time,” Wingert told us. “With all the extra Cup games and extra travel, our schedule has been different every week. Normally we have a game on Saturday, and on Sunday morning we’ll jog and stretch as a team, and then have Monday off. This week, because we have a Sunday game coming up, and knowing how many extra games we’ve been playing, our coach gave us Sunday and Monday.”

Injuries have also played a role in some of that. RSL came away with a 0-0 tie last weekend against the Houston Dynamo, and while they would have liked the three points that come with a win, a 1-point tie wasn’t bad considering how short-handed they were, particularly on offense.

“We were a little thin up top (on the offensive end of the field),” Wingert explained. “We were down to two forwards. We played alright, but we could have played better. We controlled the ball, but we didn’t create enough chances offensively.”

Fortunately the defense was up to the task. RSL leads the MLS in team defense and has recorded five shutouts in their last seven games. Wingert is a defender on one of the best back lines in the league, but he is quick to point out that good team defense starts up front.

“It starts with the front line, no question,” he said. “They create pressure and force bad plays. Our goalie, Rimondo is outstanding, our midfielders work incredibly hard, and I am playing next to some of the best defenders in the league. We can win a lot if we stay together.”

“Our best defense is to possess the ball,” he continued. “But when we don’t have it, the key is to create pressure, win the ball, and keep it in their end. We have to continue to do more of that. There was a lot of back and forth play, and that created too many chances for them. We have to get back to our possession game.”

Speaking of getting back, we wanted to ask Wingert about his trip home to New York last week. He said he only gets back to the east coast a couple times a year, but it’s a trip he always looks forward to.

“We had three days off last week, which is really rare, but again, given our schedule, it was nice to finally have a break after a ton of games,” he said. “So I scooted home. It was perfect because it was Mother’s Day and it was my nephew’s birthday, so I got to spend time with both of them.”

“Now that my sister has kids, I spend most of my time at home with them,” he continued. “But whenever I’m in New York I’m looking for pizza, bagels, and egg sandwiches! Those are the top three things on the list, without question. I’ll also get out to see my friends. Most of them still live around Babylon, or in the city, so they’ll come out when I’m in town. But if it’s the summertime, I’ll also head down to the beach. I’ve been landlocked here in Utah, so I like to get to the ocean. I miss it.”

When he’s in Utah, the days off are usually spent with his teammates.

“Usually one of the guys on the team will have a barbeque at his house and we’ll all hang out with our families, girlfriends, and wives,” explained Wingert. “Kyle Beckerman has a house with a pool, so that is a popular spot, just someplace to be outside enjoying the weather here.”

“I’d also love to get out to one of the national parks here,” he said. “That’s something I’d like to get to in my off time this year. People have told me they are beautiful, so I’d like to go check that out sometime.”

Once things get back to normal…