Meet the New Guys: Corey Baird

Previous Club: LAFC

Acquired by: Traded to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for $750,000 in allocation money and an international slot

Position: Winger/Forward

In a move we aren’t accustomed to seeing Houston Dynamo FC do, the team snatched a great young player via trade with Los Angeles FC, Corey Baird. In January of this year Baird moved to The Black and Gold from Real Salt Lake.

The California native spent most of his youth playing for Real Salt Lake’s academy system. Baird signed a Homegrown contract with the MLS team from Utah in 2018, after winning three straight NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championships with Stanford University. Baird spent three full seasons with Real Salt Lake, appearing 83 times during regular season play and making a few playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019. He tallied 15 goals and 13 assists with the Claret and Cobalt and was named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2018. Baird signed a four-year extension with Real Salt Lake in January of 2020 but he was traded to LAFC the following January.

Baird has represented the United States men’s national soccer team from U-17 to the senior level. Corey earned four caps with the Stars and Stripes in 2019.

What does he bring to the Dynamo?

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Baird, 25, will be one of the best players in the team right of the bat. He is very dynamic, having explosive speed and elusiveness with and without the ball. He showed that in less than 30 minutes during his debut Saturday night against Real Salt Lake. He is in full form, after only missing one match before being traded away from LAFC, tallying 3 goals and 2 assists in 2021. He may not be necessarily the type of striker that a Mauro Manotas or Christian Ramirez were for the Dynamo, but he will surely cause major havoc to all the MLS defenders he will face while wearing the orange jersey.

Where do you see Corey Baird lining up on the field? Versatile winger? Let us know your thoughts.