However this is the World Cup thread, if you want to participate - that's fine, but this isn't the place to debate semantics between different sports.
Having lived in both the UK and US, I can say that nothing grips the *whole* nation like the World Cup finals in the UK. The reason being that - many greater social commentators than myself have pointed out that - every state in the US could practically be viewed as a small country; indeed some of your states *are* bigger than many participants in these finals. So football (US), baseball and basketball will all have their tribal followings and come the Superbowl every year people will watch it - even if their State's team isn't particpating and have a shared interest.
However your type of football isn't played the world over. Soccer is. There is no "WorldBowl" in football (US), baseball or basketball (bar Olympics) - there is in Soccer. This 4 year event absolutely unites the world, Togo gets the chance to play France, Portugal plays it's previous colony of Angola - this is a *worldwide* pursuit. Bar the ex-pats of the US, very few people would give two hoots about American football - let alone have the same interest in whatever the score refers to in your sig, sure the Japanese love their baseball - but nothing unites every country in the world like football (soccer). In Africa for example, I can guarantee that they wouldn't even know where to start in understanding the rules of American football, let alone play the game - but take 2 shirts and use them for goal-posts and kick a ball around and he, like the rest of that continent will find joy in the sport that will bring the next World Cup to one of their Countries (South Africa) and more importantly - their economy.
I'm not accusing you or trolling, far from it - join the chat if you want, but don't have the narrow-minded view that everyone in this (worldwide) forum should conform to what the norm is in the US. There's a much wider world out there, and currently that world has an interest in a competition that many in the US don't follow or have an interest in. That doesn't mean it doesn't count to those that are interested...
Rant over !
Plucky Croatia - should have come out from that game with at least a point ! Brazil looked complacent to the cusp of laziness !!