Has soccer finally cracked the US?

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Dec 7, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy players from left Juninho , Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane celebrate with the MLS Cup championship trophy after the 2014 MLS Cup final against the New England Revolution at Stubhub Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup comedown finally subsided, the major European soccer leagues entering their final hurdle, and the new MLS season about to get underway, 2015 is as exciting a time as ever for soccer in the United States.

Soccer, dubbed around the globe as “the beautiful game”, is the world’s most popular sport with 3.5 billion fans, and played by over 250 million players in more than 200 countries. Why is it then, that soccer hasn’t ever excelled in the US?

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With American football, basketball and baseball attracting massive popularity and interest in the US, it may be that soccer is simply overshadowed by the country’s more prominent national sports.

The popularity of soccer in the US has never weighed up to that of South America or Europe, but the last decade has seen a significant rise in the popularity of the sport. The increasing standard of the MLS, grass roots development, impressive performances of the USMNT on the international scene, and the arrival of big name stars to the domestic league such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane have all contributed to the rise of soccer in the US.

More recently, the sport has seen a significant increase in popularity with record World Cup TV ratings, accelerating youth engagement, and a dramatic growth in national interest which suggest that 2015 is the year that soccer finally forces its way into the mainstream US market.

2015 is arguably the most exciting year for soccer in the United States and here are five reasons why that’s the case.

Next: The success of Juergen Klinsmann and the USMNT

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