Actually, David, I think there are a number of players more likely to leave than Donovan at this juncture. Here's why: For Donovan and his freshly upped salary, money might no longer be an incentive to move, because the $2.1 million (plus tips) he is now making isn't very far from what he could command in Europe. His move to Everton was facilitated by his impending divorce. It appears that he's trying to get back together with his ex, so he might want to be in the area. And Donovan feels that he has proved himself in Europe, however brief his excursion there was.
So his urge to go, by those three measures, has to be considerably less pressing than it would have been a year or so ago. There are, however, a number of players who look like good bets to go. Houston's Geoff Cameron makes the league's minimum wage in spite of sitting comfortably in the 90th percentile of quality among players. Cameron appears to be resisting a new contract to follow the likes of former Dynamo players Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark to Europe via free agency. Danny Mwanga, Philadelphia's rookie standout, told me minutes after being drafted first overall in January that he couldn't wait to start playing in France, and that he had to be persuaded to use MLS as a springboard in favor of going right out of college. Look for him to bolt when he gets the chance. New York's Macoumba Kandji, meanwhile, also has discovered his name on a few European wish lists. Although he has yet to light up the league here, his size could make him a good fit in, say, a Championship-type team in England.
Several others look to have slowly outgrown the league and may be ready to take a step up. Seattle's Fredy Montero, for example, or New England's Shalrie Joseph. D.C. United's preposterously gifted Andy Najar might not be far behind them. As for Ream and Gonzalez, both lack a good bit of polish. Although that may not stop them -- others have preferred getting to know European pine over MLS grass before -- they're certainly not the most Europe-ready players in the league. Ream is an able distributor but needs to work on his defending, while Gonzalez, a better pure defender, has looked a bit shaky as often as he has solid.
*Who's next to move to Europe?
