Chris Wingert

College

Wingert attended St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School and played college soccer for St. John's University, where he was the 2003 Hermann Trophy winner as that year's best collegiate player. During his college years Wingert also played with the Brooklyn Knights in the USL Premier Development League.

Professional

The Columbus Crew drafted Wingert in the second round (twelfth overall) in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. Despite his collegiate success, MLS teams were skeptical about his ability to adapt to the faster and more physical professional game. Nevertheless, Wingert managed to earn a spot on a very good Crew team and was a versatile member of the squad for two years. While in Columbus, he played as both a defender and a defensive midfielder. On January 20, 2006, the Crew traded Wingert to Colorado Rapids for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. On July 13, 2007, Real Salt Lake acquired Wingert from Colorado for a first-round pick in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft and a second-round pick in the 2009 supplemental draft. After eight years with Salt Lake, Wingert was selected in the tenth round of the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft by expansion club New York City FC. The club also selected fellow Salt Lake teammate Ned Grabavoy. Wingert was waived by New York City on January 30, 2016. Three days later, on February 2, he was claimed off of waivers by Real Salt Lake, starting his second stint with the club. He announced his retirement as a…