I think the dullness comes from those who are not used to things taking time to develop and happen. You get instant gratification in most sports, not so with soccer.
It’s a mind game and patience is a core of the strategy. You also don’t have those mind-numbing commercial breaks every 3 minutes or so. Games last 2 hours, a football game can last over 4 sometimes.
I’ve thought about it a lot and I really cannot think of a cleaver way to make the game more entertaining to the average North American sports fanatic. You would think no commercials would be enough?
You either like it or you can’t stand it.
Maybe show ‘em some clips of Maradona or Messi or Ronaldo or Neymar for starters:
Maradona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCQF7jdMa7w
Messi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCQF7jdMa7w
Ronaldo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Jo2hW6gHI
Neymar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FcT2TBOWFo
1. Loosen the substitution rules. A hundred years ago, ice hockey used to have limited-substitution rules just like baseball and soccer. It was a much slower game back then. Allowing unlimited substitutions turned it into a frenetic, action-packed game that puts all other major sports to shame.
2. Consider adopting penalty rules that force teams to play shorthanded for 4-6 minutes at a time when a player is penalized. That might help generate more offensive chances on the field.
3. Get rid of the stupid running clock time that makes soccer a Stone Age sport. Having the clock run when the ball is not in play is one characteristic soccer shares with American football that makes them two of the dumbest sports ever invented. Play the game in two 30-minute halves and stop the clock whenever the whistle is blown.