Corey Baird
Personal information
Full name Corey Jacob Baird[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-30) January 30, 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Poway, California, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 FC Cincinnati
Youth career
2002–2004 FC Heat
2005–2012 San Diego Surf
2012–2014 Real Salt Lake AZ
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Stanford Cardinal 83 (16)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 PSA Elite
2016–2017 Burlingame Dragons 16 (2)
2018–2020 Real Salt Lake 83 (15)
2018 → Real Monarchs (loan) 1 (1)
2021 Los Angeles FC 14 (3)
2021–2023 Houston Dynamo 64 (10)
2024– FC Cincinnati 0 (0)
International career‡
2011–2013 United States U17
2013–2014 United States U18
2014 United States U20
2015 United States U23
2019 United States 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 16, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 10, 2019

Corey Jacob Baird (born January 30, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati.

Career

Youth

Baird, from Escondido, California 20 miles from San Diego, began his youth career with FC Heat, where he played from 2002 to 2004, before moving to San Diego Surf, where he played from 2005 through 2012. Corey played his final year of youth soccer with Real Salt Lake AZ, Real Salt Lake's U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) team. Corey played in the DA from 2010 through 2014.

From 2008 through 2014, Baird participated in Cal-South Olympic Development Program or ODP and various age group US soccer Youth National Teams. In August 2011, Baird was invited and attended the United States men's national under-17 soccer team Residency Program, hosted at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from 2011 to 2013.[2][3][4][5]

Collegiate

On February 6, 2013, Baird signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Stanford University. In his freshman year with the Cardinal, Baird appeared in all 19 matches, making 14 starts in the midfield and helped lead Stanford to its first Pac-12 men's soccer championship[6] since 2001. Baird was twice named Pac-12 Player of the Week during the conference season and was named second team All-Pac-12[7] that year. He was also named to first team Freshman All-American teams by Soccer America[8] and College Soccer News.[9]

In his sophomore year, Baird started all 23 matches, helping to lead Stanford to both defend its Pac-12 men's soccer championship[10] and win its first NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.[11] Baird was named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament team[11] and again named to second team All-Pac-12[12]

In his junior year, Baird appeared in all 23 matches, making 22 starts in the midfield and at forward, helping to lead Stanford to win its third consecutive Pac-12 men's soccer championship[13] and defend its NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.[14] Baird was named to both the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament team[13] and All-Pac-12 first team,[15] as well as earning Pac-12 Player of the Week[16] during the conference season.

In his senior year, Baird appeared in 18 matches, making 16 starts at forward, helping to lead Stanford to win its fourth consecutive Pac-12 men's soccer championship[17] and its third consecutive NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.[18] Baird was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region first team, All-Pac 12 first team,[19] and earned Pac-12 Player of the Week[16] during the conference season.

Baird completed his Stanford career tied for third all-time in career assists[20] while also scoring 16 goals.[21]

Club career

Real Salt Lake

On January 5, 2018, Baird signed as a Homegrown Player for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.[22] Baird made his RSL debut on March 17 as a 66th-minute substitute during a 1–0 win over the New York Red Bulls.[23] He was then sent to the Real Monarchs, RSL's USL affiliate, where Baird scored in a 3–2 win over the Tulsa Roughnecks in the Monarchs' first match of the season.[23] Baird returned to the RSL first team following the match. He scored his first goal for Real Salt Lake on March 30 in a 3–1 loss to Toronto FC.[23] He made his first MLS start on April 7 and picked up his first career assist in the match, helping Real Salt Lake defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps 2–1. On May 12, scored in a 3–2 win against D.C. United with a diving header.[23] The goal was later named MLS Goal of the Week.[24] Baird ended the MLS regular season with 31 appearances, eight goals, and five assists, helping RSL finish sixth in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs.[23][25] His good performances saw him named MLS Rookie of the Year.[26] In the playoffs, Baird started and helped RSL beat LAFC 3–2 in the knockout round. He made 1 substitute over the 2 legs of the conference semifinals, as Real Salt Lake lost 5–3 to Sporting Kansas City on aggregate.[23]

Baird and RSL opened the 2019 season on March 2 against the Houston Dynamo, with Baird picking up an assist in a 1–1 draw.[27] He scored his first goal of the season on May 14, helping Real Salt Lake to a 3–2 win over Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Colorado Rapids.[27] On August 10, Baird scored twice to give RSL a 2–1 win against Sporting Kansas City.[27] The performance against SKC saw him named to the MLS Team of the Week.[28] He scored again in their next match, a 3–0 win over the Seattle Sounders on August 14.[27] Baird finished the regular season with 5 goals and 4 assists from 31 appearances, as Real Salt Lake finished 3rd in the West.[29][30] Baird picked up an assist to help RSL beat the Portland Timbers 2–1 in the first round of the playoffs. He would start the next match as RSL fell 2–0 to Seattle in the conference semifinals.[27] Baird also made one appearance in the U.S. Open Cup and one appearance in the Leagues Cup during the season.[31]

On January 24, 2020, Baird signed a contract extension with Real Salt Lake.[32] After the first two games of the 2020 season, with Baird appearing in both, the MLS season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] MLS returned to play in July with the MLS is Back Tournament, with the group stage counting towards the regular season, while the knockout rounds did not. Baird started all 3 group stage games and picked up an assist, helping RSL advance.[33] On July 27, he recorded an assist in their 5–2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in the round of 16.[33] On August 22, in Real Salt Lake's first match following MLS is Back, Baird scored once and had an assist in a 4–1 win vs the Rapids.[34] In a shortened season due to COVID-19, Baird appeared in 21 of a possible 23 games, scoring twice and recording 4 assists.[29] It was a poor season for Real Salt Lake as a team, finishing 11th in the Western Conference and failing to make the playoffs.[35]

Los Angeles FC

On January 11, 2021, Baird was traded to Los Angeles FC in exchange for $500,000 General Allocation Money, a 2021 international roster spot, and future considerations.[36] He made his debut for LAFC on April 14 against Austin FC, scoring the opener in a 2–0 victory.[37] On May 1, he scored to give LAFC a 1–1 draw with the Houston Dynamo.[37] Baird scored three goals and had two assists in 14 appearances for LAFC.[29]

Houston Dynamo

On July 30, 2021, after just seven months with Los Angeles FC, Baird was traded to the Houston Dynamo for $750,000 in allocation money and an international slot.[38][39] He made his Dynamo debut on July 31, coming off the bench in a 0–0 draw against Real Salt Lake.[37] After appearing in three games for Houston, Baird missed the next seven due to a leg injury.[37][40] Baird made seven appearances his first season in Houston; the Dynamo finished last in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[37][41]

On May 25, Baird scored his first goal of the season, and of his Dynamo career, in a 2–1 loss to Sporting Kansas City in an Open Cup match.[42] He scored his first MLS goal for Houston on August 27 in a 2–1 loss to Minnesota United.[43] Baird ended the season with 23 appearances, 2 goals, and 4 assists in MLS play, plus 2 appearances and a goal in the Open Cup.[43][29] Houston failed to qualify for the playoffs again, finishing with 13th in the West.[44]

International

Baird was a member of the U.S. under-17 squad that competed in the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Panama City,[45] starting all four matches. He also represented the U.S. in the United States men's national under-15, under-18, and under-20 soccer teams.

On December 20, 2018, Baird was invited to participate[46] in head coach Gregg Berhalter's first United States senior men's national soccer team camp from January 6, 2019, to February 2, 2019 in Chula Vista, CA. He made his debut on January 27, 2019, in a friendly against Panama, as a starter.[47]

Statistics

College

School Season NCAA Regular Season NCAA Tournament Total
Division Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Stanford University 2014 Div. I 18 4 4 1 0 0 19 4 4
2015 18 2 8 5 1 5 23 3 13
2016 18 3 6 5 0 0 23 3 6
2017 13 6 5 5 0 2 18 6 7
NCAA Total 67 15 23 16 1 7 83 16 30

Source: Corey Baird at Stanford University Men's Soccer

Club

As of July 16, 2023[48][49][50]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Burlingame Dragons 2016[51] PDL 8 1 0 0 2 1 — — 10 2
2017[52] 6 0 0 0 — — — 6 0
Total 14 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 16 2
Real Salt Lake 2018 MLS 31 8 0 0 2 0 — — 33 8
2019 31 5 1 0 2 0 0 0 1[a] 0 35 5
2020 21 2 — — — 1[b] 0 22 2
Total 83 15 1 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 90 15
Real Monarchs (loan) 2018 USLC 1 1 — 0 0 — — 1 1
Los Angeles FC 2021 MLS 14 3 — — — — 14 3
Houston Dynamo 2021 MLS 7 0 — — — — 7 0
2022 23 2 2 1 — — — 25 3
2023 34 8 5 3 5 1 0 0 4 2 48 14
Total 64 10 7 4 5 1 0 0 4 2 80 17
Career total 176 30 8 4 11 2 0 0 6 2 201 38
  1. ^ Appearance in Leagues Cup
  2. ^ Appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage

International

As of September 10, 2019

National Team Year Apps Goals
United States 2019 4 0
Total 4 0

Source: US Soccer

Honors

Individual

Stanford

References

  1. ^ "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: United States" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 16. Retrieved May 21, 2019 – via Bernews.
  2. ^ "Roster Finalized for Fall 2011 Semester of U.S. Soccer Residency Program". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "Roster Finalized for 2012 Spring Semester of U.S. Under-17 Residency Program". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  4. ^ "U-17 MNT Head Coach Richie Williams Finalizes Roster for 2012 Fall Semester of U.S. Under-17 Residency Program". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  5. ^ "Williams Names 31 Players to U.S. U-17 Men's National Team 2013 Spring Residency Roster". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  6. ^ "CHAMPS!". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. ^ "Pac-12 Men's Soccer Records" (PDF).
  8. ^ "Soccer America's 2014 Men's College Awards". Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  9. ^ "2014 College Soccer News All-Freshman Teams - CollegeSoccerNews.com". www.collegesoccernews.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Back-to-Back". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c "Last Ones Standing". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  12. ^ "Pac-12 announces men's soccer All-Conference honors". Pac-12. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  13. ^ a b c "Tree in a Row". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Champions Again". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Pac-12 Announces Men's Soccer All-Conference Honors". Pac-12. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Pac-12 men's soccer player of the week". Pac-12. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Stanford men's soccer clinches Pac-12 title". Pac-12. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Three-Peat Complete - Stanford University". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Pac-12 announces Men's Soccer All-Conference honors". Pac-12. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  20. ^ "Career Records - Stanford University". Stanford University. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  21. ^ "Corey Baird - 2017 Men's Soccer Roster - Stanford University". gostanford.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  22. ^ "Real Salt Lake sign forward Corey Baird to Homegrown contract". MLSsoccer.com. January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  23. ^ a b c d e f "Corey Baird 2018 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  24. ^ Boehm, Charles (May 17, 2018). "Real Salt Lake rookie Corey Baird wins Week 11 AT&T Goal of the Week". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  25. ^ "2018 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Bogert, Tom (November 5, 2018). "Real Salt Lake's Corey Baird wins 2018 AT&T MLS Rookie of the Year". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  27. ^ a b c d e "Corey Baird 2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  28. ^ Rodriguez, Alicia (August 12, 2019). "Team of the Week presented by Audi: Josef Martinez powers all in Week 23". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  29. ^ a b c d "Corey Baird". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  30. ^ "2019 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  31. ^ "USA - C. Baird - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  32. ^ Bogert, Tom (January 24, 2020). "Real Salt Lake, USMNT forward Corey Baird agree to contract extension". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  33. ^ a b c "Corey Baird 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  34. ^ "Corey Baird Match Log". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  35. ^ "2020 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  36. ^ Calhoun, Damian (January 11, 2021). "LAFC adds forward Corey Baird in trade with Real Salt Lake". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d e "Corey Baird 2021 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  38. ^ Baxter, Kevin (July 30, 2021). "LAFC sends forward Corey Baird to the Dynamo for cash and international roster spot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  39. ^ "LAFC Acquires $750,000 In Allocation Money & International Slot From Houston Dynamo In Exchange For Forward Corey Baird". LAFC. July 30, 2021. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  40. ^ Roepkin, Corey (September 17, 2021). "Dynamo's Michael Nelson knows the rivalry with FC Dallas". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  41. ^ "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  42. ^ "C. Baird - Matches". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  43. ^ a b "Corey Baird 2022 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  44. ^ "2022 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  45. ^ "U-17 MNT Head Coach Richie Williams Names 20-Player Roster for 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Panama". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  46. ^ "Berhalter Calls 27 Players to Chula Vista For U.S. MNT's 2019 January Camp". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  47. ^ "USA v Panama game report". Major League Soccer. January 27, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  48. ^ Corey Baird at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  49. ^ "Corey Baird". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  50. ^ "Corey Baird Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  51. ^ "Burlingame Dragons FC · 2016". USL League Two. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  52. ^ "Burlingame Dragons FC · 2017". USL League Two. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2021.

External links

MLS Young Player of the Year
Houston Dynamo FC – current squad
Categories