In case you missed it, February 5 was Cristiano Ronaldo’s birthday. The Madrid goalscorer probably celebrated by taking the day to think about himself.

31 year old Brazilian Ricardo Villar signed on with FC Dallas.

Bright Dike was drafted 12th overall by Columbus a year ago. He was released before the season began but caught on with Portland in the USL. 10 goals in 23 matches was a good return for the big striker and he looked to be compete for big minutes in MLS this season in Portland. Unfortunately, Dike tore his achilles tendon in the Timbers’ first friendly and is out 6-9 months. This fairy tale is on hold.

In a Dike-like move, Kansas City has released their 2nd round draft pick. TJ Murray of the University of Louisville was expected to push for time in the back for Sporting KC, but now he will be looking to follow in Bright Dike’s steps and find a fresh start.

The Jamaica Observer is reporting that Houston Dynamo has purchased Jamaican international Jermaine Taylor. Taylor was released after a trial with DC United last year.

The New England Revolution have signed Ousmane Dabo. The 34-year old made 12 appearances for Lazio in Serie A in 2010.

I just can’t resist posting this analysis of Peter Crouch’s contributions to Tottenham over the past 35 matches.

Tactics guru Jonathan Wilson wonders whether three central defenders is a system that can succeed long-term in English football.

Who has the best strike rate in the top European leagues? Only one man is scoring more than a goal per game this year. Other notes from this list: Pato and Ibra have the same scoring rate of 0.62 goals/game. How is this possible if Milan only scores once per match?

Two years ago Diego was the hottest property in the Bundesliga. Then he was a bust as Juventus’ big summer signing. Then he moved back to the Bundesliga to play for Wolfsburg. Saturday, with his team hovering above the relegation zone and his manager’s future in the balance, Diego defied orders and took a penalty kick. And missed it. Manager fired. Diego suspended by the team.

The loan window closed yesterday as Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore finally completed their moves. Bradley is now on loan at Aston Villa and the English club can buy him outright for around 3.5 million pounds at the end of the season. Altidore is in Turkey to play for Bursaspor. The Shin Guardian has video of Altidore’s interview as he arrived at his new club.

Corinthians teenager William Morais was killed in a botched auto theft last night.

Mark April 2nd on your calendars. The US Women’s National Team is going to London for a friendly with England before the World Cup gets underway.

How does a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield handle a 4-3-3? Ajax and De Graafschap asked this question over the weekend. 11 Tegen 11 has fantastic analysis of the results.

The Best Eleven pulls together some of the stranger foreign soccer commercials from around the world.