Real Salt Lake defender Chris Wingert is out for Sunday’s Western Conference Championship second leg at Portland due to injury.
Claret-and-Cobalt Head Coach Jason Kreis told media after Tuesday’s practice that Wingert will miss Sunday’s game due to a fractured rib and pneumothorax suffered in the Nov. 10 first leg. Wingert was injured in the 14th minute of the first leg, getting clipped in the chest after fouling Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri in the RSL third. The veteran left back stayed in the game until the 33rd minute, when he was removed for defender Lovel Palmer.
Wingert spent a couple of days in the hospital last week, undergoing an operation to repair his pneumothorax injury. Kreis told reporters on Tuesday that he’s hopeful that Wingert would be available for MLS Cup on Dec. 7 should RSL advance past the Timbers on Sunday.
Real Salt Lake enters Sunday’s second leg with a 4-2 aggregate goal lead over Portland. RSL will advance to MLS Cup if it maintains its two-goal advantage in regulation. If the sides are tied on aggregate after regulation, the teams will play two, 15-minute extra time periods. If the teams are still tied following extra time, the series will be decided in a penalty kick shootout.
The winner of the RSL-Portland series will face the winner of the Eastern Conference Championship series between Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City in MLS Cup on Dec. 7. RSL and Portland will face off at 7:00 p.m. MT on Sunday on ESPN at JELD-WEN Field. The second leg of the Houston-Kansas City series will kick at 5:30 p.m. MT on Saturday on NBC Sports Network at Sporting Park.
