Some people in the United States not only do not understand the sport of soccer, but they almost seem to loathe it, taking every opportunity to knock it, and claiming that American sports (more often than not, American football) is a way better sport.
But the fact of the matter is that soccer, and not American football, or baseball, or basketball, or hockey, is far and away the most popular sport in the world. All of the statistics bear this out.
And when the NFL tried to introduce American football to Europe, it hardly made a blip on the sports radar screen there. In the meantime, soccer's popularity is on the rise here in the United States, as well as Canada. The MLS is starting to look more and more like a serious league, not just some second rate, glorified farm league of sorts.
True, MLS teams are not quite on the level of their European counterparts, but the gap seems to be closing all of the time.
In the meantime, the US National Soccer Team is getting better and better. The women have already won multiple World Cup titles in their own right, and the men's side is growing stronger and more consistent in each tournament.
For that matter, soccer also appears to be gaining traction in Australia, based on the national team's growing list of accomplishments there. It might not have overtaken Australian rules football or rugby just yet in Australia, but it seems to be gaining popularity all of the time.
And in South Korea and Japan, where other sports are more popular, soccer seems to be rising in popularity all of the time.
Again, just one more sign that soccer not only is the most popular sport in the world, but is likely to stay there for a long, long time, even if many Americans, including American professional athletes, often take shots at it, in what seems like a really immature and xenophobic example of "American exceptionalism".
The fact of the matter is that soccer is exciting. It unifies people of various nationalities that, otherwise, might have little to nothing in common with one another.
One example of this are some Brazilians that I know living in the United States right now. Despite different backgrounds and interests, despite very different social standings within Brazil and the United States, despite differences in race and sex and religious beliefs. The one thing that they can all agree on is Brazilian soccer, and that the national team is the best in the world (even when the results don't always exactly show that, from time to time).
This is for good reason, as well. Soccer is a graceful sport. It has artistry, and colorful personalities. Different teams and different nations have different styles of play, and often, these reflect the characteristics of the nation. I heard that, for Brazilians, soccer is there what the American revolution and the Declaration of Independence is to the United States - the one thing in their history that makes them stand out, makes the nation unique. The traditional success and beauty of Brazil's national squad is a point of pride for Brazilians the world over, and for good reason.
That said, soccer is the one sport that the United States not only does not seem dominant in, or have ever dominated (the recent success on the US Women's team being the exception). As far as the men's side goes, the best placement for the US National Team was third, back when the tournament had far fewer teams. I suspect that this has a lot more to do with the considerable lack of success the US National Team has had in this sport, as opposed to so many other international sports, where it has enjoyed far more success.
Americans like sports where their athletes dominate. Even modest fans of basketball felt their chests swell with the dominance of the "Dream Team" in basketball. And hockey exploded with popularity after the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980. Would soccer have remained in the shadows for as long as it did if the US would have regularly beaten teams like Brazil, Italy, and Germany, instead of more often getting pounded by them?
Soccer remains the most popular sport, even though I have heard Americans wrongly, and repeatedly, refer to the Super Bowl as the biggest sporting event in the world.
Undeniably, the biggest sporting event in the world - and by far - is the World Cup of soccer. And throughout Europe, Africa, and Latin America (save Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, where baseball reigns supreme), soccer is the favorite sport, without question. And the exceptions, which includes the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Pakistan, among others.
No, soccer is not the most popular sport everywhere you go. But, it is, and long has been (and likely long will be), the most popular sport in the world. And there's good reason for that.
And this article below (see link) tries to explain to the uninitiated why that is:
How Soccer Explains the Sports Page When a handful of newspaper reporters helped introduce America to the ‘Beautiful Game’ 32 years ago by Bryan Curtis, June 13, 2014:
http://grantland.com/features/2014-world-cup-george-vecsey-how-soccer-explains-sports-page/
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