Did you know that attendance comparing the MLS (Major League Soccer) and European soccer leagues shows that European leagues have significantly higher attendance per game than the MLS? I’ve lived my whole life in the US and can tell you that soccer is not very popular in America compared to European nations where the majority of people are very passionate about the teams within their region. This is likely due to the fact that US sports such as baseball, basketball, and football are far more popular. This phenomenon is not new to the US and, in fact, has existed throughout the history of this country.

According to Ivan Waddington and Martin Roderick in an article about American exceptionalism,* the US has a limited amount of space for sports in society and that is largely occupied by American football–meaning no room for soccer. By contrast, European sports life is completely dominated by soccer and the fans are passionate about, and dedicated to, their favorite teams. As a result, players who are interested in playing soccer tend to shy away from the MLS and play for European teams, especially teams in Spain and Germany.

The talent in the soccer industry almost always goes to European teams. Even American-born players, like Christian Pulisic, for example, play for teams outside of the US. With sapped talent from US teams, Americans are far too often no match for their European competitors. The love of soccer is intertwined with European culture just like American football is in the US–giving European teams in high world rankings and our national teams with less passion and talent. 

*http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportsHistorian/1996/sh16f.pdf