PURCHASE, N.Y. – After playing for Real Salt Lake for eight seasons, New York City FC’s Chris Wingert knows almost every nook and cranny of Rio Tinto Stadium.
Except for one: The visitors’ locker room.
Wingert will take in the unfamiliar territory on Saturday, when he and his NYCFC teammates take on RSL on the Wasatch Front (10 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“I’ve been thinking about what is going to be the strangest [part about going back to RSL] and not going into the [home] locker room will be weird,” Wingert said. “I don’t even know what the opposing locker room looks like.”
Saturday’s match will be an emotional return for Wingert, one of several NYCFC players who used to call Real Salt Lake home. Ned Grabavoy, Sebastian Velasquez and Kwame Watson-Siriboe all played with Wingert at RSL last season, and goalkeeper Josh Saunders and midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy also spent time with the Claret-and-Cobalt earlier in their careers.
“I’m personally happy we’re going out there so I can see everybody, not just from the team, but some other people I’m close with,” Wingert said. “I think it will be cool to go back out there. Certainly a little bit of mixed emotions, but it should be a good weekend.”
The 32-year-old said he is still in communication with several players and staff at Real Salt Lake, including midfielder Kyle Beckerman, who roomed with Wingert during their early years at RSL and remains one of the defender’s close friends.
“We talk all the time. A lot of it is not soccer-related, but some of it is,” Wingert said. “Not just the guys on the team, but the staff has been just really genuine and kind, giving us a shout and seeing how we’re doing. I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody, but certainly the focus will be on getting a good result out there. It won’t be easy.”
NYCFC is looking to snap an eight-game winless streak at RSL, who have dealt with some early-season struggles of their own. Salt Lake were blown out 4-1 at Montreal last Saturday, and have only one once in their last seven matches.
Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar is integrating a number of new players into his team this year, something RSL rarely had to deal with during NYCFC boss Jason Kreis’ hugely successful seven-year reign at the club.
Still, Wingert knows RSL have plenty of quality on the roster, and he won’t be caught off guard by any of his former teammates on Saturday night.
“They still have a great core to the team,” Wingert said. “It’s not going to be surprising if they have another good season.”
Saunders was with RSL in 2013, appearing in three regular season games with the club before tearing his ACL on a goal kick in July of that year.
“The area was beautiful, living in Park City, it was an amazing place,” Saunders said. “Obviously the guys on the staff were who made it really good for us. But I also had some issues there with getting an ACL injury and being out for such an extended period of time. It was both good and bad.”
Saunders said he’s looking to seeing some friends in Sandy, but most of all he’s hoping NYCFC can build off the momentum of last Friday’s come-from-behind, 10-man 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire.
“It will be nice to go back and see some familiar faces,” Saunders said. “But at the same time it’s a game for us and it’s a competition we want to win.”
