Martin Rogers of Yahoo! is reporting that Landon Donovan attracted some European interest during this summer's (now closed) transfer window, and his preferred destination of Everton made a late play. That in itself isn't shocking; Donovan played well enough at Everton during his loan stint and during the World Cup that it makes sense the league/Galaxy received a few nibbles.  How much was offered, Rogers doesn't say.  What he does say is that MLS valued Donovan at $16 million.

As American soccer fans, we live in a world framed by perceptions. We struggle with prevailing opinion that Americans don't play the sport that well, that we're incapable of developing quality talent, and that the sport will forever be a second class citizen in our own country.


It's natural then, that so many of us are enthralled by Landon Donovan's success at Everton. Donovan isn't just over there doing himself proud, he's over the validating our collective soccer chops to the greater footballing world. Or the most visible part of the greater footballing world.


Donovan might as well have been wearing a Captain America uniform when he's was on the field for Everton. It's not fair to say he "carried the hopes of a nation on his back", but he certainly had the eyes of the American soccer community on him; to play as well as he has, while also being stamped with that label of "best American player", only serves to make all of us look good.


His play proves his champions right and takes the edge off the inferiority complex possessed by so many of his detractors. The haters hate a little less now. The fans relish in lavishing the "attaboys". Evertonians might as well all be honorary Yanks for how much they've taken to Donovan and shared their affinity for him with the world. Who else chants "USA! USA!" like that outside of our borders these days?


Other Americans have done fine, even pretty damn good, in England and other leagues of note. Clint Dempsey is one of Fulham's most important attacking players and with Donovan returning home, will once again the best American outfield player in England. Michael Bradley is consistently solid for Monchengladbach in Germany. Keepers like Tim Howard and Brad Friedel maintain the high standard American netminders abroad. All are worth mention, and all deserve praise. But none of them have ever been American soccer's poster boy.


Depending on your loyalties, Donovan's loan stint at Everton has either proved Americans can play, proved MLS isn't as bad as so many think, given American players a larger profile abroad, or other and varied combinations of them all. But at its essence, I think most Americans are happy to see Donovan succeed for selfish reasons. Donovan validated his own talent in the eyes of some of the world's harshest critics. He validated his maturity and mental toughness, things many still doubted he had. He, in a small way, validated MLS as a serviceable place for players to hone their craft. And perhaps most importantly of all, despite the hyperbolic element, he validated American soccer.


And therefore, he validated all of us, even if just a little.

Consider this a Sunday diversion. Landon Donovan's loan with Everton is set to end in a week, and the buzz has started for him to remain through the end of the season. Bruce Arena, naturally, said it won't happen and that Donovan will return to the Galaxy for the start of the MLS season. His saying anything else would be newsworthy, but his "strong" words on the subject mean little. Similar things were said during David Beckham's loan limbo last year.


But perhaps most interesting to me than the machinations of the will-he-stay-or-will-he-come-home tennis match is why, as fans, so many of us are of the opinion that Donovan should absolutely remain at Everton.


Is it because we think he'll play better at the World Cup in June if he stays with the Toffees? Are his fans just happy to see him succeeding in one of the world's best leagues and want that to continue? Is it because we see Donovan as the American standard bearer and want him to remain in England where he can increase the Yank reputation?


Or is something else entirely, perhaps a combination of factors or a more complicated permutation of one of the suggestions above?


For those of you who want Donovan to stay at Everton, explain your reasoning below, and those of you who have had a change of heart on Landon, I definitely want to hear from you.


To get it started, I'll give my own reasoning; I'm a fan of Donovan's, always have been, and am happy to see him proving his quality in a top league. The longer he stays, the quieter those disapproving voices that have criticized him repeatedly will get.

After five matches played, one goal scored, and by most accounts quality play all around, the momentum for a permanent Landon Donovan move to Everton is beginning to pick up steam.


Forget the numbers being batted about (which have me skeptically furrowing my brow), or the provenance of the rumors; the simple fact that the whispers are starting indicates that Donovan's value is on the rise and that MLS may be facing a difficult decision in the very near future.


While no one really knows for sure, conventional wisdom holds that Major League Soccer is bound to overprice their biggest American star, asking for a transfer fee that would make a move for Donovan almost impossible. In the past, I've even presented a logical argument for why MLS isn't wrong to do so (in perhaps my oddest piece of writing to date, where I used an indirect analogy about a piece of furniture). Still, just because I can understand where the Garber, Arena, AEG, or whomever else might be involved is coming from doesn't mean I think it would be right to prevent Donovan from leaving by setting an exorbitant price. It's fine line between what's smart and what's right.


Unfortunately, Donovan weakened his case for the league to do right by him by signing a new four year contract just before his Everton loan began. The new deal, which makes Donovan the highest paid American in the history of MLS (and by a wide margin), would appear to tie him to playing his club soccer in the US; if Donovan's aspirations are to settle in Europe (finally), he may have done damage to his own chances by re-upping. There could be something to that, though I still believe that signing the new contract was the right move on Donovan's part. It's doubtful that even he could have foreseen the easy transition he's made to England, and a $2 million a year safety net is a nice thing to have.


But it's time that Major League Soccer, provided the offer is fair, to let go of Donovan. Not because it's the "right" thing to do, and not because they owe Donovan; no, the MLS needs to let go of their American poster boy because it will ultimately benefit them in the long run.


There's little doubt that Landon Donovan is the best American player in Major League Soccer. Awards aside, Donovan's talent puts him on a different level, one that only a handful of foreign players in the league can match. In an American league desperate for American attention, it should follow that Donovan's value as a marketing commodity is therefore massive, making letting him go either distasteful at the least or potentially disastrous at the most.


Yet Donovan's drawing power is debatable, and the importance of his role as American superstar is tenuous, if only because the marketing power of the league is far more dependent on its foreign stars and overall quality of play than it is on domestic talent. Would MLS really be worse off if Donovan said goodbye to the Galaxy?


The path to relevancy for MLS includes improving their overall product, continuing the process of putting clubs in their own buildings, and sending young talent overseas where they will better the American league's reputation. The natural progression and financial constraints of MLS means that it will increasingly become an export league; while young players like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are the norm, a situation like Donovan's, where an established player with a long history in the league looks to move abroad, will sometimes present itself. Suddenly, MLS must decide if Donovan's abilities do the league more good on fields in Kansas City and Denver than they would in London and Manchester.


Be smart, MLS. Take a reasonable offer for Donovan ($8-10 million sounds about right), spend the money you would have paid him on raising the talent bar across the league, and continue to lean on foreign superstars if you need a marketing boost. Your audience is growing steadily as it is, and the soccer junkie holdouts will not be buying tickets or flipping on their televisions because one American star happens to be on the field. If Landon Donovan plays well in England, the league's profile and marketability will see an increase. Move on from Donovan and let him go not because it's the fair thing to do but because it's the smart thing to do.