This seems to really get under the skin of a lot of British to the point where I don't get why none of them ever bother to look it up. The term "soccer" is of British origin NOT American. It's an English slang term from the early twentieth century. It is short for "Association Football" aka what is now called simply "football" in Britain ("soccer" meaning "association"). So many English, Scot and Irish rag on about Americans making up the "improper" word 'soccer' without ever realizing it's their own damn word. It's a little irritating to be honest.