Yep. International has always made more sense for this reason.  I was hopeful that an MLS team would just take him (salary and all) with nothing in return - maybe a team that has a DP slot, so their salary cap hit is less.  But, if we have to move him to MLS, I think we will probably have to supplement the salary.
He should be relatively attractive in Europe.  He holds a European passport (not EU, but I think Norway gets work privileges), so there are no issues with permitting.  He is a good technical player.  Any team in the Championship or France or the Netherlands should be happy to take him with that salary.
Regardless, I would love to see him go somewhere that gives him a regular starting job.  He's a good player and a good guy and deserves regular time on the pitch.