Why is soccer pupular around the world but not in the United States

&lt;p /&gt; I understand that on a recreational level soccer is a very popular sport in the United States, but shouldn't we be more dominant in the World Cup? Now I know I should be proud of the national team making waves and moving past their group in this past summers tournament, but as an American, it is expected in my eyes that with all the talent in this country, that we should always be able to field a great team. We are the most diversely populated country in the world. How is the MLS not a thriving conglomerate? Even with star power like David Beckham accepting $250 million to play for the LA Galaxy, it hasn't turned MLS into anything close to the NFL, NBA, or MLB. Maybe the MLS hasn't branded properly, I don't know. It is understood that other countries around the world are better than us because soccer or football is the ONLY real sport they play, but still. Maybe our players are not trained in the same manner as other countries, maybe we should try to copy their training methods or something. How is it that Landon Donovan is considered the US version of a soccer phenom, he is aging for crying out loud. He was amazing in this past World Cup, but it was more than likely his last tournament. We need someone to step up and be the Tiger Woods of american soccer. We need some freakishly talented kid to come along, maybe an American Italian or a Brazilian maybe. I'm really not picky, but just badly want our country to become a major force in this sport worldwide. European stars like David Beckham are coming over here for big paydays when they are 30+ and not competitive anymore in the european leagues. Its a joke. 

I know that part of it is that the talented american youth is not as motivated to focus on this sport because professional players do not make near as much money as other sports. Maybe teenagers in this country would rather focus on big money sports like football and baseball. Soccer isn't sexy in America. Let's change that, I would love to tune into ESPN and see broad coverage of this sport, even golf gets more coverage than the MLS. I wonder if WNBA players get more media exposure. If so, good for the ladies, they deserve it.