Landon Donovan's loan move to Everton barely registered in the voluminous coverage English papers devote to soccer each day, underscoring the 27-year-old American's lack of star appeal abroad. As Gabriele Marcotti notes, Donovan failed twice in two stints in Germany and has rarely shined on the international stage.

Success for the Galaxy in MLS and the USA in Concacaf don't count. His solid outings there "are the equivalent of solitary trees falling in the forest. Few take notice, even fewer care."

Donovan won't likely be able to change the perception about him during his two and a half months at Everton, but he will get a chance next summer when he plays for the USA at the World Cup in South Africa. Read the original story...