For a sporting nation that is used to having the best of everything, it seems strange that soccer has taken so long to grip the United States.
It is the biggest sport in the world, with four billion fans, and there are now signs of a breakthrough. As a new Major League Soccer season begins, there is increasing evidence that the global game is being embraced.
According to New York City FC (h/t CNBC) last year, attendance had grown from 2.9 million to 7.3 million over the previous 10 years, while a 2017 Gallup poll suggested that among 18 to 34-year-olds, soccer had overtaken baseball and matched basketball in popularity.