Real Salt Lake’s midfielder Corey Baird is the recipient of the MLS Rookie of the Year award for the 2018 season, the league has announced on Monday. Baird received 43 percent of the votes, beating out Orlando City SC’s forward Chris Mueller, who had 18 percent, and Philadelphia Union’s defender Mark McKenzie with 15 percent.
ICYMI: @realsaltlake’s @bairdy_23 is the 2018 AT&T Rookie of the Year. https://t.co/RbGl5GoTZI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 6, 2018
Corey Baird issued a statement via social media following the announcement, saying it is an “unbelievable honor” for him to win the award.
“Unbelievable honor. I owe it to my teammates, the coaching staff, and Real Salt Lake as a whole for welcoming me to the club and making it feel like a second home,” – Baird wrote on Instagram. “Finally, thank you to the fans for their support and love throughout the season. I appreciate the moment of recognition, but we still have a lot to play for back in KC.”
After spending his collegiate career with the Stanford Cardinal and playing professionally for PDL’s Burlingame Dragons, Corey Baird signed with the Real Salt Lake in January 2018 as a Homegrown Player.
Baird played a total of 31 MLS career games for Salt Lake in 2018, scoring on eight occasions and providing five assists.
