I think the notion that soccer is "slow" is very overblown. I mean think about it. A football game is 60 minutes and normally takes 3 hours to finish. A soccer game is 90 minutes and takes less than 2 hours to finish. So a sport that is 30 minutes longer takes over an hour less to finish.
I get the buildup in the midfield, and the passing back and forth can be a strategical bore at times, but I think the execution of a team's plan in soccer is easily the most exciting aspect of any sport in the world. It's like chess, you have to look beyond the pieces in the present and see the moves in advance to understand the quality being put on display and I think then people can appreciate the sport more.
I played soccer for roughly 7 years and was one of the top goalkeepers in the FYSA during that period, so maybe I appreciate it more than the average American but it's the ultimate "team" game.
Look I can't convince people into liking something or not. Hell I'm a sports nut, I enjoy watching golf, horse racing, tennis . . . hell I've even put in time watching Tour de France (actually camped out to watch a stage while in Belgium) and Formula One . . . and at times I find these sports more entertaining than American Football.
I love my Dolphins, hell I'm not on a U.S. national soccer board or a Miami Heat board or a Marlins board talking about the World Cup, I'm on the board of the team I love more than any team in the world . . . . but soccer gets a bad rap in this country and I'm glad this country is starting to embrace it.