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Press ReleaseSANDY -- Real Salt Lake today announced that the club and Chris Wingert have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the defender with the Utah side through the 2012 MLS campaign. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Wingert is the third member of Real Salt Lake to ink a contract with the club in recent months, following on the heels of similar deals reached with MF Javier Morales and DF Jamison Olave.
"We have been in discussions with Chris throughout the offseason, and we can honestly say that he is as thrilled to continue his career here with Real Salt Lake as we are in having him stay on board," said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey. "Our Technical Staff has repeatedly mentioned the need to mold our team around a young, talented core of players to achieve the success we know we can attain and our fans deserve, and this deal is yet another step in that building process."
Wingert enjoyed the most productive of his five professional seasons in Major League Soccer with the Claret-and-Cobalt in 2008, as the St. John's University product and former M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner set career-highs in games played (29), games started (29), minutes played (2,589), assists (3), and shots on goal (5).
Wingert was a main cog in Real Salt Lake's improved defensive corps last season on both the left and right flanks and helped the team reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history, playing all 270 minutes across RSL's three-game run to the Western Conference Final. Since joining the MLS ranks in 2004, Wingert has started 85 of his 110 regular season appearances, notching seven assists along the way with the Columbus Crew (2004-05), Colorado Rapids (2006-2007), and RSL (2007-present).
Wingert parlayed his impressive 2008 season for Real Salt Lake into his first invitation to a Senior U.S. Men's National Team camp this past January and February, marking his first activity with the U.S. Soccer program since his participation with the U.S. Under-23 squad during CONCACAF region Olympic Qualifying in 2004.
Wingert notched his first "cap" with the U.S. MNT on Jan. 24 against Sweden, coming off the bench to play the final 13 minutes in the USA's 3-2 win at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
(Courtesy Real Salt Lake)
