Good athletes are good athletes. They tend to be better at pretty much any sport they take up. The more of them playing a sport, the better the quality of play -- and vice versa.

It's not to say that aren't good athletes playing soccer in the US, but in most US communities, youth soccer is still largely just a participation sport for the less athletically gifted and competitively inclined. It's a large reason why soccer hasn't really gained a foothold in the US - because for all of the participation, there simply isn't that much passion for the sport by those who "participated" in it in their youth.

Like most Olympic sports, don't confuse people sitting around TVs watching the World Cup every 4 years for passion.
[Post edited by marcbvtgm at 10/11/2017 11:18AM]