The name “soccer” is just an old British slang abbreviation of “Association Football”, to differentiate it from other kinds of football (that is, games played on foot, as opposed to horseback—compare “footrace”). You can find old references to “Rugby football” and “rugger” as well. Americans kept the term, Brits didn’t.
Exactly. And America isn't the only country that kept the abbreviation. Australia, Ireland, Canada and some countries in Southern Africa use the same term.
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/the-origin-o...