New polling from Ipsos Sports, provided exclusively to The Associated Press, shows that the World Cup has excited soccer fans and piqued many Americans’ interest, even as the sport continues to face an uphill climb to reach mainstream popularity in the United States.

While the U.S. isn't a bona fide soccer nation yet, the past three weeks have perhaps shown what it would feel like if it were.

The tournament is drawing a new audience to soccer, so what's it like for those Americans forced to watch from afar?

The US still has a way to go before it can call itself a soccer nation