American Soccer Fans Quizzed on Basic Soccer Trivia, Fail Miserably

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsNlOFXE_xE]

It's a question that gets asked every four years: is this the year that Americans learn to love soccer?

While the few U.S. sportswriters who do love soccer (like, ESPN's Marc Stein) always insists the soccer renaissance is coming, the fact remains that the only "football" most Americans are even remotely familiar with is the one with helmets and shoulder pads.

A recent survey by Reuters indicated that only 7 percent of Americans plan on following the tournament closely.

YouTube soccer show host Baha Salamah took to the streets of New York City and quizzed random Americans on their knowledge of the soccer ... and the result is not pretty. Two fans thought Gareth Bale was Italian; another claimed they root for Spain but can't remember the last time they won. Several more were naive enough to believe Salamah's claim that he was playing for the U.S. team.