As most a fan of college football in America, I am not familiar with Association football.
Same here, I never knew association football was known as soccer as well, with 11 players on the field.
What countries are associated with this "association football" league?
The Laws of soccer were originally made back in 1863 in England, but now soccer is enjoyed by the whole world. 
I saw a major increase in the popularity of soccer in the United States in the late 1980s.
Yes, soccer has grown so much in the US, over 24.4 million people play soccer in the US now! 
That statistic surprises me as I had no idea the sport was so popular here in America.
most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and American football. The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. It is the fourth most popular sport in the United States behind American football, baseball, and basketball, and is the second fastest growing sport in America, surpassed only by lacrosse.
The highest-level men's professional soccer league in
Outline of association football
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to association football:
Association football – sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. At the turn of the 21st century, the game was played by over 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the world's most popular sport. More commonly known as football or soccer.
What type of thing is association football?
Association football can be described as all of the following:
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