CHART: Scoring Is Way Up At The World Cup

The 2014 World Cup is already on pace to be one of the most thrilling in the history of the tournament and a major reason is the dramatic increase in goals scored.

Through the first 12 matches of the tournament, the teams have combined to average 3.4 goals per match, up an amazing 51% from the 2010 World Cup when the 64 matches averaged 2.3 goals. At this pace, the 2014 World Cup would be the highest scoring tournament since 1958.

Scoring should also remain consistent as we move deeper into the tournament. Since the tournament switch to a 16-team knockout stage in 1986, matches have averaged 2.4 goals in the group stage and 2.5 goals per match in the knockout stage.

All of this should bode well for the sport in the United States where it is still labeled as "boring" among some American sports fans.