{"id":411134,"date":"2025-11-28T18:36:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T18:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/411134\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T18:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T18:36:14","slug":"corey-bairds-assists-fuel-san-diego-fcs-playoff-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/411134\/","title":{"rendered":"Corey Baird’s assists fuel San Diego FC’s playoff run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anders Dreyer\u2019s left-footed rocket goal in Monday\u2019s playoff win may well be the defining moment of San Diego FC\u2019s breakthrough season.<\/p>\n

But before we move on \u2014 SDFC plays its next playoff game on Saturday night, hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps at Snapdragon Stadium in Major League Soccer\u2019s Western Conference final \u2014 let\u2019s appreciate the pass that set it up.<\/p>\n

And the player who delivered it: Escondido native Corey Baird, an MLS veteran who joined his hometown team via trade four months ago.<\/p>\n

SDFC and Minnesota United were locked in a scoreless tie in the 72nd minute. SDFC was attacking when Jeppe Tverskov chipped a pass from the touchline toward the goal line, well to the right of the net.<\/p>\n

With the ball airborne, Baird began to sprint. The veteran forward arrived at the goal line just as the ball did and, using his heel, passed the ball behind him, keeping it in play. The brilliant touch went straight to Dreyer, who took a few long strides before connecting and blasting the ball past goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and into the top-right corner of the goal.<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf0 Anders Dreyer with a ROCKET and @sandiegofc<\/a> are 20 minutes away from the Western Conference Finals! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com\/mMILy8bMXg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cA lot of guys would\u2019ve let that ball go out of bounds,\u201d SDFC coach Mikey Varas said. \u201c(Baird) played it to the last millimeter, and it ended up being one of the big differences in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dreyer\u2019s strike was SDFC\u2019s only shot on goal against the Loons, who packed the box and frustrated the home team for most of the match. To create scoring opportunities, SDFC had to get creative.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to overload on the side. We tried to play quick, get in behind them, be patient most of all,\u201d Tverskov siad. \u201cLuckily, it ended up with a goal with one of the things we have been talking a lot about: deep ball in behind, cut back and shot on the nearest post.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, as teammate Amahl Pellegrino said: \u201cWe needed quality to score the first goal, and that\u2019s what (Baird) gave the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AndersAnders Dreyer #10 hugs Corey Baird #21 of San Diego FC after a goal against Minnesota United during the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs: Conference Semifinals at Snapdragon Stadium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of play SDFC was banking on in August, when the club acquired the 29-year-old from FC Cincinnati in exchange for $50,000 in general allocation money and a chance at another $50,000 for next year.<\/p>\n

The veteran of Real Salt Lake, LAFC, Houston Dynamo and FC Cincinnati has fit right in. Baird made his San Diego debut on Aug. 23, starting and playing 42 minutes against the Portland Timbers. He returned to the starting 11 in early October after dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, and has been a mainstay there since.<\/p>\n

Baird has logged assists in SDFC\u2019s last three playoff matches.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a giver,\u201d Varas said. \u201cHe makes extra runs from behind, even when he doesn\u2019t get the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

And knows, perhaps more than most, just what a championship would mean to San Diego. Baird grew up in Escondido and attended Cathedral Catholic High School for a year before embarking on a professional track that included time at Real Salt Lake\u2019s academy in Casa Grande, Ariz., and a year at Vista Grande High School in the central Arizona town. Baird played collegiately at Stanford, winning three NCAA Championships, before joining MLS. In 2018, Baird \u2014 playing for Real Salt Lake \u2014 was named the MLS Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

He jumped at the chance to join SDFC.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as a team was announced, it was a mission of mine to try to get back here in some capacity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And to be a part of it?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so special that this city has a soccer team now, and seeing what we\u2019ve made after just 12 months \u2026.It\u2019s awesome,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m so excited to see where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, it could go straight to the MLS Cup championship game. A win on Saturday night would move San Diego FC to the final, where it would face either NYCFC or Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. Should NYCFC and SDFC both win, the match would be held at Snapdragon Stadium.<\/p>\n

All because of one highlight-reel goal, set up by an amazing assist.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a (conference) final now,\u201d Baird said. \u201cHopefully, I\u2019m gonna help \u2018em a little bit more on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t