A few reasons:
- Not enough scoring. Look at hockey. The NHL almost completely tanked because defense had taken such a priority that 90% of the game was happening between the lines. They're changing the rules now and the sport is slowly building more momentum after a high in the 80s. Soccer is slower, less physical, and has less scoring than hockey did even in its darkest days. Not surprsingly, Americans just don't care about it.
- Too many sports. Americans have a plethora of popular sports to choose from. Basketball, hockey, NASCAR, football, baseball, etc. Soccer would have to bump one of those sports out of the way to gain even a little acceptance and that's not going to happen without major rule changes.
- It's boring. Seriously. It is. I'm a big sports guy and have tried to watch soccer more times than I can count. I can barely make it through a World Cup match without wanting to scream. Any sport that calls so many chickenshit fouls is not going to go over well with Americans. Basketball tests my patience and soccer is ten times worse.
- The best American athletes don't play the sport and consequently, America doesn't do well internationally. The sport might catch a bit of interest if an amazing American athlete emerged in the sport.
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