FCC Notebook: Little Things ‘Non-Negotiable’ for Corey Baird and Key Player Returns to Training

April 26, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release

The priority for Corey Baird is winning soccer games. That is, according to him, the most important part of any game he’s a part of. It is nice to tally up personal stats, goals and assists, for example, but getting wins requires more than just those final actions.

He wants those, too-the goals and assists. He’ll tell you that getting those finishes is an important part of the job for any forward, but it doesn’t define how he plays the game and performs for his club.

“I pride myself on doing all the little things,” Baird said after the 2-1 victory over Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to a press scrum in the locker room. “I always thought you’re not going to get to the highest level unless you’re doing all those little things. So for me, that’s non-negotiable.”

Baird’s early work rate is evident to all. As a pressing forward, Baird personifies the ideology of being the first line of defense when playing out of possesion, and a willing runner when playing with possession even if it doesn’t mean a pass is coming his way.

He describes that as “dirty work.” These are the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet but are vital to success. Things that take time to get recognized.

The win over Atlanta United FC was an excellent example of how his play, while perhaps not as flashy, helped deliver results. On both goals, the California native played a role in making the opportunities possible without finding himself on the scoresheet.

The first, a breakout featuring Baird, Luciano Acosta and Luca Orellano, where Acosta carried the play forward, with Orellano and Baird making parallel runs up the field. The pass from Acosta led Orellano forward (and was really the only clean pass available) and the Argentine connection would cash in the equalizing goal. But Baird’s run kept a second defender from crashing in on Orellano and making the attempt significantly harder, opening up space in the box and pulling attention. If he doesn’t make that run, Orellano likely doesn’t have a clean look on the net, as the defender doesn’t have to attend to a potential pass across to Baird.

Dirty work. No praise, no stat sheet mention. But a goal all the same.

The second, ultimately game-winning goal, from Acosta on a cross from DeAndre Yedlin, also had Baird’s presence on it. On the cross, Baird’s presence in the box clearly pulled the attention from the keeper and defenders away from Acosta and on to him, so…