America and Soccer

      I've always wondered why Americans aren't interested in soccer. Most of the people I know who love following soccer are either people who play the sport or people who have lived in another country. I was surprised to find an article on CNN today that covered the topic, and apparently i'm not the only one to realize; few Americans are actually interested in soccer. Why?
     The CNN article's theory is that when soccer was being spread widely in Britain, America was a new country and wanted very little to do with anything British. Instead, Americans created our own version of football based off of rugby; and American football is rarely played in the rest of the world. America has essentially avoided soccer in the attempt to create our own identity. To what extent can sports shape the identity of a country?
             I personally believe that America has formed it's own identity. My reasons why are for another day, and I'm fairily positive that many others out there disagree with me. Either way, would a universal American embrace of soccer enhance our identity, change our identity or prevent us from forming one? I feel that a lot of the world's countries bond through the support of their soccer teams, and that America could better connect with the rest of the world if more of us payed attention to it. Here's a metaphor for you; Sports are a universal language, and soccer is spoken frequently through the rest of the world. Would America benefit from being more multilingual?