Danny is right. Soccer is an abbreviated form used for a good 70 years but it isnโt the official language for โfootballโ
I donโt think Americans are trying deliberately to demean it, rather they just want to differentiate between what they call football and our game.
Cannot understand these endless posts from those objecting to Americans calling it "soccer" - the word originally used for it in the UK - when 70% of dopes here still say "footie".