The Alumni Files: Chris Wingert, Major League Soccer Player

Chris Wingert, who graduated from St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip, grew up in Babylon and is now playing for Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake in Utah.

Wingert won the 2003 Hermann Trophy while playing college soccer at St. John's University, an award given to the best collegiate soccer player each year and previously won by American superstars such as Claudio Reyna.

Patch talked to Wingert about making it in professional sports, the future of soccer in America and the perils of landlocked living.

Tell us about what you do now and the road to professional soccer. 

Currently I play for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. I was drafted out of college to the Columbus Crew in 2004. I played in Columbus for two years and then got traded to the Colorado Rapids. I was in Colorado for a year and a half and then got traded to Salt Lake City in 2007. I have been in Utah ever since and am thoroughly enjoying my experience here. Hopefully I will be here for years to come.  

What was your experience like playing sports growing up in Babylon and at St. John's? How did school sports prepare you for the major league?

I grew up playing a bunch of different sports, but I was always a little better at soccer. I think the sport that you are best at tends to be your favorite when you are a kid. Babylon had a lot of good soccer players around my age when we were growing up (especially for a small town). Many of them decided to focus on other sports, though. I felt like going to St. John's could provide me with some unique opportunities because they had a great soccer program and one of the top high school coaches in America at the time, Tom Bouklas. It prepared me well for both a college and a professional career.   

So many young people have a dream of making it all the way to professional sport leagues and such a microscopic number of them will succeed. What do you think set you apart?

I think most professional athletes succeed because of a combination of God-given talent and hard work. There are very few who make it to the highest level without both. The thing that helped me excel as I got older was the time I spent training with my father [West Islip High School coach and former North American Soccer League player Norm Wingert]. Everyone goes to team practice, but not everyone puts in the hours of training on their own. My dad spent a lot of time helping me train when I was a teenager, and no factor was bigger than that.

The American team's run in the 2010 World Cup created a lot of new soccer fans in this country and there was a huge amount of debate in the media as to why Americans don't follow soccer in large numbers. What do you think the future of soccer is for the U.S.? What will it take to get everyone watching the game and to get us into the World Cup finals?

Soccer is not one of the most watched sports in America at this point, but it's growing fast. There are plenty of people who will never be interested in watching Major League Soccer, but the same can be said for major league baseball or basketball. We have over 300 million people in the U.S., so we just need to win over our fair share and we're well on our way. The MLS is expanding every year (we are up to 18 teams in 2011) and there aren't too many businesses that can say that considering the current economy.

The national team is getting better every year, and although we are not on the same level as the top nations in the world, we are not far off.  I'm not sure when we will reach the World Cup Final, but I'm confident it will happen in my lifetime.

What's your ultimate goal in your soccer career and then afterward? Do you see yourself coaching or teaching one day?

 My goals are constantly changing and evolving, but my two main objectives at this point are to win another championship and to play for U.S. national team again. When I was younger I didn't think I would coach when I was done playing, because I want to move back to New York eventually and settle down there. Now I'm starting to think more seriously about it.

Now that you've lived and traveled all over the country, how do you feel about your hometown? How does Babylon compare to some of the other places you've lived?

I feel really fortunate to have traveled all over the world, and lived in different cities throughout. But I am definitely a Long Island guy, and I will move back at some point. I still love spending time in Babylon, and I get back as often as I can to spend time with my family and my closest friends. In an ideal world I'll make my way back and live right near the beach. I've been landlocked for way too long.

Check back for more interviews with Babylon High School graduates who are enjoying success in the arts, music, sports, entertainment and other careers. If you know someone Patch should profile, email us at judy.mottl@patch.com.