The men's team isn't bad. It is often top 10 in the world. By world standards it isn't great, or good enough to win the gold events. Soccer has historically not been a US sport, so to speak. Elite male athletes in the states make more money elsewhere like football (number 12 sport in the world). Thus, many athletes here go into other sports hoping for an elusive payday.
With a lack of popular women's sports world-wide and in the US, soccer has risen, especially here. The best female athletes in the US are now funneled toward soccer (Or basketball, softball is suffering, but no one cares since the Olympics dropped it).