Escondido’s Corey Baird ‘buzzin” to join San Diego FC for season’s final stretch

Growing up in Escondido, Corey Baird was a boy without a Major League Soccer team.

The idea of one in San Diego never really occurred to him.

“Nah,” he told reporters this week. “The closest team was in L.A., so that was a bit of a bummer for me.”

If early indications are anything, the veteran forward should fit right in with San Diego FC — not because of where he’s from, but because of who he is.

SDFC acquired the 29-year-old Baird from FC Cincinnati in a trade earlier this week. He is expected to be on the field Saturday, when SDFC (14-7-4) resumes MLS play with a 5:45 p.m. match at Sporting Kansas City (6-12-6).

The resumption of MLS play marks the start of a new portion of the season. Gone are the two-game weeks and in-season tournaments, replaced by a schedule that’s as familiar to American football fans as futbol fanaticos.

Starting Saturday, SDFC will play nine MLS matches in a span of 70 days — checking in at about one match per week, plus soccer’s version of a bye.

The stressors that have tested SDFC’s depth all summer should mostly be a thing of the past. In fact, coach Mikey Varas said he expects to have most of his squad back and healthy “in or around San Jose or Portland.” The club plays at the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 17, then hosts the Portland Timbers on Aug. 23.

Forward Marcus Ingvartesen, out for most of this season with a leg injury, is training with the club and building up stamina. Defender and team captain Jeppe Tverskov was removed from the club’s Aug. 1 League Cup loss to Tigres UANL out of precaution, but has no limitations going forward, Varas said.

And SDFC’s new and developing corps of youngsters seems to be building up more fitness by the day.

Baird fits somewhere in between youngster and team captain. He has appeared in 201 career MLS matches, starting 133 of them, in stints with Real Salt Lake, LAFC, Houston Dynamo and FC Cincinnati. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2018.

Baird is capable of playing any of the three front-line positions, and his versatility could help him and SDFC when Ingvartsen returns.

“I think I’m a dynamic runner who can get in the box and cause issues for the (other) team, but I’m also a team player,” he said. “It’s all about the team.”

Yes, the team. Baird talked Thursday as if playing for SDFC was a dream come true — even if it seemed too far-fetched to consider when he was a kid.

“As soon as there was an expansion team here, I knew at some point I wanted to get back,” he said. “So I’m buzzin’ to be here. …

“You don’t get to choose (where you play). Unfortunately, it’s part of the lifestyle. But if I could’ve chosen (anywhere), it would’ve been here.”

San Diego FC (14-7-4) vs. Sporting Kansas City (6-12-6)

When: 5:45 p.m. Saturday

Where:  Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kan.

Streaming: AppleTV, FS1