Personal Statement
Hello, my name is Brendan Baird and I will be a senior this fall at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm excited about the future and hope to find a great fit in a college with both rigorous academics, and excellent soccer where I can learn and grow, and in return make a significant impact on the program.
Soccer is part of my DNA. Both my father and older brother were passionate soccer players so I grew up with a ball at my feet. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are training, running drills, and perfecting my skill with my dad and brother. We would spend hours almost every day shooting at the goal in our backyard. Luckily, I have those fond memories as my father passed away from a hemorrhagic stroke out of the blue a little over two years ago. Although my father's death was a horrible tragedy that will impact my life forever, through the experience I have proven that I have an enormous amount of grit and tenacity. And, I have matured beyond my years, and have developed a solid focus for my future.
I have had some amazing experiences in my short youth career playing the beautiful game. These experiences have ignited my passion and fueled my desire to train harder and play college soccer. My most recent accolades include being named District Player of the Year and selected to play in the New Mexico All-Star Game this fall, 2021. Prior to the total COVID shut down, I was named 2019 Boys ECNL Mountain Conference Player of the Year. In the summer of 2019, I was also selected with 34 ECNL players across the country to attend the Boys ECNL National Training Camp in Nassau, Bahamas. And, in the fall of 2020, I was invited to train with the U17 Colorado Rapids Youth Academy. This was my second invite in two years. Several years back, I also traveled with the Rapids Academy to the Generation adidas Cup with U13 in Dallas and was invited the following year but Rapids did not attend due to weather. I had many wonderful opportunities with US Youth Futsal (USYF) and was named to the 2004 US Youth Futsal Team where we traveled internationally to play friendlies. I have been involved in ODP and was invited to Region IV ODP Camp and became a Region pool player. I was part of Rush Select for the two years that I played with Rush Soccer Club. Additionally, the club teams I have played on have played at the highest levels of youth soccer outside of the Academy structure. In 2017-2018, my Rush team won the Red Division of the National League and we went to the National Championships. In 2019, my Rio team won the Mountain Conference and went to the ECNL National Playoffs.
I am looking forward to having the opportunity to play college soccer. I will be an asset to any team because through my life experiences, I have built the internal fortitude to successfully balance the rigors of academics and athletics. When things get hard, I put my head down and work until I get through. I will do well in school, and will also be a leader on and off the field, and be an outstanding representative of both my school and my team.
