Landon Donovan - The Beatle In Reverse

MLS has a new hero. Well, call that a reinvented one. Landon Donovan has been heralded before now, but his goal in the last minute against Algeria took a huge slice of this summer's sporting drama in the USA - and put him in the mix of significant sport broadcasts.

America is ready to embrace their "soccer" stars like never before. The country is not ready to take on the sport wholeheartedly, but they are willing make space for an icon or two. Landon Donovan is ready to seize that moment and Everton Football Club look set to be the beneficiaries

Donovan has a great profile. He is bi-lingual, has the Los Angeles tan and speaks with great poise. He also has a terrific temperament. With the guidance of David Moyes he was able to prove he was a great footballer.

Donovan returned from his loan spell with Everton a different player. Confident that he was able to mix it with the best. Having enjoyed good performances and victories against both Chelsea and Manchester United, the doubts raised during his time in Germany were quashed.

It will not only be Moyes who will have convinced Donovan that his career is better spent away from the LA Galaxy.

David Beckham was on the receiving end of the American's ire when he chose Milan over recovery time. However, it was sooner rather than later that Donovan accepted the difference between loyalty to a cause (the MLS) and a achieving a personal dream.

Indeed, the impact that Donovan made during his time in England developed the credentials of the MLS far more than any All-Star games that elite teams play in pre-season.

Donovan proved that America had produced, through their own system and culture, a quality footballer who could impact upon the world's most famous league. Suddenly perception changed - the MLS was no longer Beckham's retirement home.

The idea of LA's finest finding a home in Liverpool, England was fitting for a sporting maverick who made his name outside the established sports. Donovan was The Beatles in reverse.

Donovan can take his own path from Hollywood to perhaps the most traditional English club. Making himself an idol on the pitch in a sporting hotbed will ensure that instead of American soccer being a vehicle for him, he can carry American soccer to places it could never reach before.