From Yahoo! Sports:  SOCCER,
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/soccer

 

The word "soccer" was coined by the British...

Clubs were referred to as: Association Football.

Soccer comes from the shortening of the word Association.

 

Association ->Assoc.
Assocer -> Person pertaining/belonging to (a) Football association.
Assocer -> Soccer.

 

Soccer came to mean the sport itself, not only a participant.

 

The term was used in England first, and still is used there today,
alongside football and "footie".

 

American football, on the other hand, did not derive its name (by copying) from soccer-football, but was named after the actual ball used, the "football" taken from rugby, which is still the same unique shape and size today.

 

So... short story, when someone argues with you that the word soccer is an "Americanism", you can tell them how wrong they are...

 

Have
fun!!