Yes I have played soccer. In college on weekends my dorm would get together and play dodgeball, softball, soccer or flag football and by far soccer was the most boring, un-exciting activity compared to the rest. It was the least popular among ALL of us. So, WHY IS IT THAT SOCCER IS SO UNPOPULAR HERE IN AMERICA??? None of you have addressed that. My ideas are that Americans need excitement and action that soccer (and now hockey as the ratings fall) just does not provide that. They have even attempted to increase scoring in pro hockey by limiting the gear the goalie wears but to no avail as the TV ratings continue to slip.
Here's a quote from another blog that says it very well...

"I'm glad the U.S. lost, and I hope it continues to lose regularly in the FIFA World Cup. The last thing America needs is for soccer to gain in popularity here. The biggest threat to keeping soccer unpopular is a successful U.S. team. Do we really need another sport popularized here? No. Many have tried. There's even attempts at variations on popular sports, like the XFL or Arena Football. Has anyone been to an Arena Football game? I did once...keyword ONCE. American (and by American, I mean the U.S. and Canada) sports have more action, more scoring, more defensive opportunities, more intelligence and more strength, and even bravery. Ever see two soccer players intentionally run into each other at a full sprint? It happens intentionally almost every play in Football. It happens in Baseball in the big plays. As far a intelligence goes, Baseball is played at multiple levels of strategy, requiring physical skill to implement. Football and Basketball too. Soccer? Well, there is some, but if you really know Baseball and Football, there is not comparisons at all."

Here's another theory...

"Here's my theory as to why soccer is unpopular here. Little kids, even me, can run and kick a ball? Am I right? Sure we won't be able to run forever, but for a decent amount of time. That's why a lot of little kids play soccer in U.S. to start out with, it's easy and doesn't take much skill for them to play. As the kids grow up, they switch to more difficult sports which are also more popular and hard-work demanding in the U.S.--football, baseball, and basketball for example are the 3 main sports around here which I would think that are the most played sports. Also, if you are really, really poor, soccer is the easiet to pick up. Get a can and trashcans and you are off in some of the Spanish areas. As for the other 3 sports, including ones such as hockey, golf, or tennis, they just are to difficult to find stuff such as cans to play with for those sports. Sure you've seen stickball, but believe me, kicking a can is a lot easier than stickball."