1. The Latino population of the United States is rising. Unlike most Americans who are largely indifferent to soccer, there’s an existing love of the game in the Latino community and they are bringing that love with them. Currently, there’s more interest in the Mexican league than MLS, but the foundation is there for future growth.

2. The comparison of the World Cup to the Olympics falls flat in one major way: World Cup ratings are consistently rising every 4 years. Interest in the Olympics is always pretty high, but its relative strength ebbs and flows. Ratings for the World Cup were up 41% from 2006 which was held in a similar time zone. Watch for ratings in Brazil to skyrocket further, as games will actually be closer to prime time.

Of course if the U.S. reaches the final of a major sport like hockey it’s going to get huge ratings! If the U.S. had made the World Cup final I’m telling you the ratings would have dwarfed that though.

3. MLS is expanding. New franchises like Toronto, Seattle and Philadelphia are seeing great attendance. Owners are ponying up $40 million for the right to enter the league. I don’t see the MLS as a “fools errand.” I agree with one point – the need for a link to connect youth soccer to professional soccer. That’s exactly what the MLS is doing with it’s academy system. Look up Generation Adidas.

4. One good idea would be to move college soccer from being a fall sport to the spring. This would mean it wouldn’t have to compete with college football. With the proliferation of college sports channels (ESPNU, CSTV, the Big Ten Network, etc) there are plenty of outlets that could promote college soccer if only it wasn’t competing with the most popular sports. In the spring it would have an easier time of capturing attention and market share.

5. Still, the college system is very flawed and probably isn’t what the United States should encourage if it wants soccer to catch on. Rather than challenging and developing talent, quality players find themselves surrounded by inferior talent and are limited by NCAA rules on practice time. Since most soccer players peak in their mid 20s, having players in college until 22 really stunts talent growth in the U.S. If the U.S. is going to become a soccer power, the academy system is what will take it there, not college soccer.

6. Soccer’s popularity is high, not just the World Cup. Look at attendance when Premier League teams come to the United States. In the comments you point to ‘only’ 1.6 million people watching the Champions League final. I think that’s pretty good for its time slot and the CL’s low media coverage here.

7. To sum up by paraphrasing from the comments: soccer’s popularity in the U.S. will come from evolution, not revolution. MLS will slowly expand, slowly rise in attendance, slowly rise in quality of play, slowly gain respect from soccer fans of the Mexican league and the EPL who currently dismiss it, and slowly become generally profitable. Do I think soccer will become the #1 sport in America? No, but it doesn’t have to be. Our population is massive and growing. The rise of the internet and cable TV will allow “niche” markets like soccer to be successful. Unlike NASL with it’s out of control spending, MLS is being prudent, content to grow slowly. But they will grow.

Again, not the worst rating it could have gotten. But it’s still in the context (and proximity) of the Cup and still fell below expectations.

As for us in relation to the rest of the world: there’s a reason our diplomacy is equated to “cowboys” and we’re labeled as stubborn and bossy. Things like our geography and history, and the socio-political attitude they produced, do make us a bit different from other countries. Globally, we’re the ones to set and buck trends, not follow them. See also: our electoral process, style of legislative government, health care, and so on and so forth.

Not saying it’s good or bad, just the way it is.

I don’t think so.

Now of course, not everybody who tuned in for the World Cup will become a soccer diehard, just as most who tune in for the Super Bowl don’t care about the NFL the other 364 days of the year. But some will. And unlike the 70s and 80s, they can follow the true major soccer leagues, get invested in a club (preferably Everton), and it all builds from there.

How else to explain the disconnect between the immense popularity of soccer in the primary, secondary and college school levels and the nearly complete absence of it in our media? A significant portion of our population enjoys it, but that’s not what a bunch of old white men want believe.

C.