Is MLS less popular than the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB because it is a harder sport to score points in?

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Soccer is less popular than other major sports, and even among soccer fans, the MLS is less popular (and less impressive) than leagues from other countries. Low scoring might be one reason, but it's not the most important reason- the most important reason is just that there are several other sports with much larger followings and much more cultural history in the country than soccer.
The NFL is the world's most famous American football league, the NHL is a source of pride in regions with cold climates that play a lot of hockey, and the MLB is the oldest surviving professional sports league (not to mention that, while its popularity is no longer what it used to be, baseball was once considered the American national sport and nicknamed 'America's pastime'.

Professional soccer, on the other hand, just doesn't have that kind of foothold. The best players are elsewhere and most kids who play soccer in school tend to move on to other sports.)

(Side note: I think the MLS and the NHL might be on similar ground since the NHL's popularity is more concentrated in states where hockey is common; i.e. colder states.)