I went to a good sized High School (graduating class of approximately 500). I had very little exposure to soccer. Most of the better male athletes played football in the fall. My school was in the Syracuse, NY area; so the better athletes actually wrestled in the winter and played lacrosse in the spring.
My wife played soccer through college. She was a goal keeper and went to college on an athletic scholarship. My wife starting coaching soccer when my daughter was 6 (she is now 12). I began to coach when she was 7 and I now assistant coaching on my daughters premier U14 traveling team. I played lacrosse at the college level and have found that the strategies of the two games to be very similar. Soccer is a transition game, not too unlike hockey or basketball.
We have two good colleges in the area. One has a Division I soccer program and the other is a top Division III school. I can tell you that the athleticism of soccer at this level is much more impressive than "American" Football or baseball. Since being exposed to soccer, I have grown to love the game.
If Americans concentrated on the athletic purity of sport, instead scoring, soccer would be more embraced. However, Americans are all about impact and visual stimulation... Hence, football rules all here. Additionally, soccer is like hockey; it does not translate well to TV.
