Canales Daily: Seeing Out The Season

His fitness, passing and finishing skills were all on display as he helped the U.S. to the championship match, where they eventually fell, 3-2, to mighty Brazil.

Suddenly, it wasn't looking so crazy that Jurgen Klinsmann was interested in bringing Donovan to Bayern Munich at the start of the year. Klinsmann arranged for Donovan to be loaned to Bayern during the winter, but a deal wasn't reached for a permanent transfer.

Landon Donovan

Club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge at the time seemed to scoff at the price MLS placed on their star. Since the league owns all the player contracts, Donovan's transfer price would have to be agreed upon there.

The one specific number named in any possibility about Donovan moving to Europe was brought up by MLS commissioner Don Garber, who simply said that as the top American player, Donovan would not go for less than what the league had agreed upon for any other USA player.

Since Jozy Altidore's transfer to Spain's Villarreal was set at 10 million dollars, that would seem to be the minimum price for Donovan.

Landon Donovan

MLS doesn't much care that clubs in Europe might mock that valuation because Donovan is rather unique. As the most-recognized USA player, he brings a credibility and profile to the league that it would otherwise lack. His sponsorship deals with top American companies and his media appearances on sports shows and other press outlets garner greater publicity for the league.

Yet Donovan is far from a marketing creation - all flash and no substance. In 201 league games, he has 94 goals and 74 assists. His playoffs statistics are even more impressive - 14 goals, 7 assists in 18 games.  At 27, he is the USA's all-time leading goalscorer (41) and also all-time leader in assists. 

However, any European move looks like it may have to wait until the end of the MLS season. Though Donovan has wanted to go to a club on the continent for a while now, he has never wanted to interrupt his MLS club season. Not for him a Beckham-like arrival in mid-year, nor an August transfer after the first part of the season has been played.

When informed that Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola described him as "definitely, absolutely," capable of playing in Europe, Donovan's response to Goal.com made clear his loyalty to the LA Galaxy this season.

"That’s nice of him, I appreciate that," Donovan said. "I’m not going anywhere in the near future. We’ll see what happens at the end of the year."

Landon Donovan

Paris, France, somewhere in Spain, Italy, or England may lie in the future, but it doesn't seem likely in the upcoming days.

"They’re not letting me go at this point - I know that, and I wouldn’t want to go," Donovan stated. "I’m happy being here right now and we’ll see at the end of the year."

Perhaps something extraordinary will change all that, but though it may be his final Galaxy season, Donovan looks determined to see it out.

Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com North America

Keep up on all things MLS with Goal.com