OK, so, we don't have a whole lot to add to what you've already seen on Twitter and elsewhere. Clint Dempsey to Seattle started out as a laughable rumor...and then it became very real, very fast.

ESPN The Magazine's Doug McIntyre broke the story.

Will the No.2-ranked player in the ASN 100 actually leave the English Premier League for the Pacific Northwest? Definitely, maybe.

Clint Dempsey is very close with Sounders forward Eddie Johnson, and he clearly enjoyed the experience of playing a June 11 World Cup qualifier in front of a crazed Seattle crowd. (The photo above was taken at that match.)

Dempsey had this to say about the environment in Seattle at a U.S. press conference prior to that match:

"I’m good friends with Eddie Johnson. He always tells me about what it’s like, playing here and playing in front of the fans and just how it’s an atmosphere that’s comparable to how it is in Europe. It’s great to see because I remember when I first started out in the MLS, things weren’t like that. It’s great to see that the game is building and there are markets like this that people have so much passion for the game. I almost feel like I was in another country the other day, when the Seattle Sounders game was on while I was walking to get dinner. Just as you walk past the bar, you see that the TV’s on, and everybody’s watching soccer."

"For me, that was awesome. So I’m happy to play here and look forward to the game and feeling what that atmosphere will be like."

Did that atmosphere convince Dempsey to leave Europe and return home? Did the reported $8 million per year for four years also play a role?

If Dempsey does indeed come to the MLS now, at the top of his game, it will be a huge statement that the league has finally arrived. Rest assured that American Soccer Now will be covering this story closely in the days and weeks ahead.

OK, chime in: What do you think of this rumored move? Love it for MLS, which could use a few American superstars? Hate it for Dempsey, who just last year was talking about Champions League glory? Neither? Both? Tell us below.