Wednesday Freedom Kicks: Birnbaum Bird Bombed

Hi! So I'm pinch-hitting for Jason today, so apologies for the slight barren nature of your links. This weekday thing is weird.

D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum to miss 4-6 weeks with ankle injury - The Washington Post: Goff gives us news that we sort of already knew. I honestly didn't know the nugget that Kevin Payne and Ben Olsen were scouting Maxi Urruti at one point (and the signing of Urruti to Toronto FC while Payne was there makes sense), so maybe this trip was done at the beginning of 2012?

Michael Seaton loaned to Orebro SK in Sweden - Black And Red United: Michael Seaton moving on to the Allsvenskan for the year. So what's the next move, right?

Orlando City news: Notes from the training ground - Orlando Sentinel: Former WaPo guy Paul Tenorio gives us the update on things from the enemy's side. Spoiler alert: they'll have more bodies back this week.

DCUU23 Memberships — Evergreen FC: For those who feel compelled, the U-23 season ticket prices are out, along with requisite perks and such.

Ripken Baseball said Monday that it has reached an agreement to grant naming rights for Ripken Stadium – home of the minor-league Aberdeen IronBirds – to Leidos, - Baltimore Sun: I mean, OK, but weird, right?

USMNT vs. Switzerland: Final score 1-1, Americans hold on for draw with 10 men - Stars and Stripes FC: Brek Shea scored off a free kick and some other things, some encouraging, some the same old same old.

MLS’s CBA negotiations: federal mediation, salary cap and steps toward free agency: For the lawyers in the crowd, some thoughts on how things look in the soon(?) to be finalized document.

A Bohemian Footprint: Supporting American Soccer Nationwide | Boys In Rouge: An oldie but a goodie from Tom Dunmore.

The Neutral Chronicles: Your team isn't getting screwed - The Goat Parade: A nice look (in a way) at confirmation bias in Major League Soccer.

Read The Complete Script For Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon | The Playlist: If you've seen "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures," you may know this, for others who don't, Kubrick got deep into a biopic on the emperor in his follow-up to "2001," including location scouts and tons of research. The project was shelved due to similar films taking a bath in the box office, but here's his script for the project.

It's hump day, you know what to do.