Baird made his first MLS start Saturday, following impressive back-to-back appearances off the bench. The former Stanford Cardinal, who signed with RSL over the offseason, slid in on the left wing against Vancouver, while Joao Plata was available off the bench.
“Corey’s from our academy, he’s talented, he had a great four years of college, and he’s young and hungry,” RSL coach Mike Petke said at training Monday, three days after Baird scored his first MLS goal. “... He’s got that mentality.”
Petke compared Baird’s mentality to the one he had as a player, one he’d like to see from all his players no matter their roles on the team.