I'll take a honest stab at answering the question.
Q: When is America going to take soccer seriously?
A: We already have, in the 1920's.
This website has the best history of US soccer on the web. Check it out if you haven't already.
An Overview of American Soccer HistoryA few excerpts from the above:
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During the mid 1920's, the crowds for games were large, with 10,000 a not uncommon attendance figure. This was on a par with the NFL for much of the 1920's.
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By the mid 1920's, the ASL had reached such a level of prominence that major foreign teams were enticed to perform major tours of the US playing against top ASL and other clubs. Sparta Prague and Vienna Hakoah, an all-Jewish side both toured the US in 1926, to record-breaking crowds. Hakoah's first three games drew 25,000, 30,000 and 36,000 spectators respectively, culminating in the famous May 1 1926 match at the polo grounds in front of 46,000 spectators, a crowd record that stood until 1977 when three consecutive records were set by the Pele-led New York Cosmos.
We have a rich soccer history that has been all but forgotten and buried. The real question is when will we as a nation rediscover the sport.
