I have little to say and should have finished this hours ago. A typical Wednesday Freedom Kicks, in other words.

From food for kids to Burberry coats, what Washington VIPs want for the holidays | Washington Post
Steve Birnbaum, some local congressmen, and a bunch of people I don't know told the Post what they want. There wasn't a lot of news after yesterday's schedule announcement.

Jimmy Hill's ill-fated ownership of Detroit Express and Washington Diplomats in NASL remembered | The Telegraph
In 1980, the original Diplomats folded, only for this odd little saga to take place. Detroit's healthy NASL team moved down and took up the mantle for the Dips, but despite winning 8 of 11 games to start the season and adding Johan Cruyff, they missed the playoffs and folded again by the end of the yar.

Omar Gonzalez sold to Liga MX club C.F. Pachuca | LAG Confidential
So this will answer the issue of how the Galaxy intended to work around the fact that their DP slots are taken and they used all of their initial TAM allotment to get through 2015. Omar Gonzalez is headed to Pachuca, a club that needed defensive help. I'm not sure this is an ideal move for him though, as Liga MX clubs play far more on the ground. His aerial ability won't be as much of an asset in Mexico (though at least on set pieces alone he should be able to utterly dominate both boxes). It's a good challenge for a player that maybe needed it at this point in his career.

Omar Gonzalez Presented by Pachuca | LAG Confidential
Liga MX is one of the weirdest leagues on the planet, and that makes it fun. This presentation involves Gonzalez in a cape and a Darth Vader mask, and he's been given a Pachuca jersey with a number that appears to be 3shield rather than 30.

New York Red Bulls Sign Derrick Etienne, Brandon Allen as Homegrown Players | Once a Metro
Two players from big DMV programs have both signed homegrown deals with the devil the Red Bulls. I've seen both in person, and I think Etienne has a long way to go to make an impact as a pro. However, that was on a clearly outmatched Virginia team that Maryland probably should have beaten by more than the eventual 1-0 scoreline. He's already got a year under his belt playing for NYRB 2 as an amateur, where he is said to have done quite well.

Allen may be ready to make a more immediate impact in MLS, though I'm not sure how much time he'll get in a world where NYRB only plays one forward, Bradley Wright-Phillips barely ever sits, and Anatole Abang - who is 3 years younger than Allen - may actually be the better player today. That's no slight on Allen, who would have been an early 1st round pick if he went through the draft.

New York Red Bulls Sign Academy Product Alex Muyl as Homegrown Player | Once a Metro
Those crumbbums had already added Allen's attacking partner from Georgetown as well.

Leo Gonzalez returns to Costa Rica with his first pro club | Sounder at Heart
For those of you that are going to watch next fall's CCL group stage, be on the lookout for longtime Sounders left back Leo Gonzalez. He'll be suiting up for CS Herediano, who nearly always get into the tournament.

Toronto FC's Michael Bradley named US Soccer's Male Player of the Year | MLSsoccer.com
I guess? I think Bradley is a great player, but his 2015 for club and country were not up to standards in my book (which I'm guessing is a pretty room temperature take). I'd have gone with Fabian Johnson, but all in all it was not a good year for the USMNT and the list of nominees really reflects that.

Pep Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich this summer; Carlo Ancelotti named successor | Bavarian Football Works
So this is kind of a big deal. Maybe Guardiola saw that his old friend Caleb Porter won MLS Cup and wants to get revenge. You know, if he took over the Red Bulls they'd still come up short.

After being banned from soccer, Sepp Blatter quoted Arnold Schwarzenegger | SBNation.com
I have no problem with everyone in world soccer taking some time to point and laugh at Sepp Blatter, who dealt with news of his 8 year suspension from all soccer activities by moaning about how badly he's been treated. What an awful man.

And on that note, I'll shut up and let you fine folks have at it.