Despite commonly held misconceptions, soccer is a popular sport in the United States. Over 24 million people regularly play the beautiful game, and 15% of whom are registered players. In 2018, the analytics company Gallup reported that soccer was the fourth most-watched team sport in the country, behind American football, baseball, and basketball. Its top-flight league, known as Major League Soccer (MLS) is the fastest growing professional soccer league in the world. Its creation came about as the US held…