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Soccer, more commonly known internationally as Football , has long been one of the most popular Recreational Sport s in the United States , but Professional soccer has been less popular there than in much of the rest of the world. Soccer remains highly popular in the U.S. as a youth sport, played by both boys and girls usually under age 12; so much so that the term " Soccer Mom " entered the American vernacular. HISTORY OF SOCCER IN THE U.S. The first '', the club is often credited with inventing the " Boston Game ", which both allowed players to kick a round ball along the ground, and to pick it up and run with it. The first US match known to have been inspired by FA rules was a game between .) Early soccer leagues in the US mostly used the name football leagues: for example, the American Football Association (founded in 1884 ), the American Amateur Football Association ( 1893 ), the American League Of Professional Football ( 1894 ), the National Association Foot Ball League ( 1895 ), and the Southern New England Football League ( 1914 ). However, the word "soccer" was beginning to catch on, and the St Louis Soccer League was a significant regional competition between 1907 and 1939 . What is now the United States Soccer Federation was originally the US Football Association, formed in 1913 by the merger of the American Football Association and the American Amateur Football Association. The governing body of the sport in the US did not have the word soccer in its name until 1945 , when it became the US Soccer Football Association. It did not drop the word football from its name until 1974 , when it became the US Soccer Federation. Two further football leagues were started in the 1967 . It is thought that the sudden re-emergence of interest was due to England 's victory in the , a phenomenon which was also seen in other English-speaking countries. The two leagues which were started were the United Soccer Association and the National Professional Soccer League. These merged to form the North American Soccer League , which eventually folded in 1984 . AMERICAN SOCCER TODAY Professional soccer does seem to be expanding in recent years, starting in the mid- 1990s . The was played in the United States for the first time winning the sport more recognition. In the , the United States Team did surprisingly well which also succeeded in winning more converts. The United States Women's National Team is one of the best in the world. A number of American soccer leagues have been attempted; today the largest is Major League Soccer , which has had some success, but still remains relatively insignificant in the national sporting spectrum. Other leagues, such as the Primera División De México and the English Premier League , are highly competitive with MLS for fans. The league structure of soccer in the United States is significantly different from that used in almost all the rest of the world, but similar to that used by other North American team sports leagues, in that there is no system of Promotion And Relegation between lower and higher leagues. The playoffs employed by the leagues differ from most European championships, but are more popular in the Western Hemisphere. Despite the U.S. teams' recent successes in the sport, its popularity still lags behind American Football , Baseball , Basketball , Ice Hockey , and even Tennis . Many writers have speculated on why soccer is not as popular in the U.S. as it is in other countries. Theories include that other sports cornered the market before professional soccer could prosper; that soccer is a "foreign game" that Americans do not dominate the game; that there are too many draws; and that there is not enough scoring [http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:e-Y5e8rvxnkJ:observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1270849,00.html . A common complaint among Americans is that soccer is "boring" [http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/06/03/cf.crossfire/ . American television networks are reluctant to air soccer due to low viewership ratings and a relative lack of opportunities for commercials. Another factor in soccer's historic lack of popularity in the States lies with the nature of American youth sport, which is primarily centered around community programs in the pre-teen years and Secondary School sport thereafter. For youth in the U.S., both soccer and American football are played in the Autumn and a youth generally cannot devote time to both. Until the 1980s , most high schools in the U.S. offered only American football rather than soccer, while youth soccer programs were extremely rare. Generations of Americans grew up with virtually no exposure to the sport. In the decades hence, more and more pre-teen youth sport organizations have turned to soccer as either a supplement to or a replacement for American football in their programs. Soccer is far more economical for a cash-strapped youth organization than American football (far less player protection, fewer officials and less complex field equipment is required in soccer) while at the same the Insurance risks associated with American football far surpass that of soccer. Simultaneously, with increased Urbanization , American high schools have grown to the point where most offer soccer as well as American football in their autumn sports seasons. The result is that in the past few decades, the participants of these expanded programs have become today's American soccer athletes who have representation in many of the top leagues in Europe as well as MLS. The U.S. men's squad has grown from a perennial also-ran to one of the more respectable sides in the world. Women's soccer, however, never had American football to siphon off potential participants at the youth and scholastic levels. This, combined with the relative lack of attention afforded the women's game in traditional soccer-playing countries, led to the U.S. Women's National Team's historical dominance in international competition. Because of these factors, more and more Americans, having played the game in their youth, are now avid spectators, especially in the Northeast, South Florida , and California . Also, as Latin America n immigration is increasing, so is the popularity of soccer. Sam's Army is the official Fan Club of United States soccer. AMERICAN SOCCER ASSOCIATIONS
State and local associations SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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