As an aside, I played the game in college. We were never as good as the pros (or teams in other countries) but I played right up to age 50 and coached a high school team. The game is difficult to understand unless you have some experience in it. I would liken it to golf, at which I dabble. I appreciate it when someone makes a really good shot. (Maybe good plays happen in soccer too, but do not result in goals. But the best team of players definitely has a better chance of winning — same as football).
And BTW, soccer does excite me. and I am also an Auburn football fan. But the great plays in soccer are more subtle than the great plays in football. It is easy to see why we enjoy a guy who makes it to the other team’s backfield or catches a long pass over the weak attempt by the back to stop the catch. Football is also a sport where much of the win comes in the line where people don’t understand the incredible skill that goes into keeping another player from ruining a third down try. Soccer has a lot of that type of skill and then someone hits a long shot into the cornor of the net. Goal! Come on, there is nothing wrong with soccer.
Soccer would be better if they got rid of flopping, as in all sports. It’s gotten really bad in basketball. But American football has a lot less.