Despite being confronted with the inconvenient truth that the Australian national soccer team are now faced with Jamaican-bobsled-team-level underdog status after being dealt a place in this year’s Group of Death alongside South Africa 2010 finalists Spain and Holland, and Chile, currently ranked as the 1st, 9th and 15th best national teams in the world, per FIFA, Tim Cahill remains high on our 2014 World Cup chances. Here he explains how we can scrap our way through the group stages (luck will be required), lessons learned from the heartbreaking 2006 campaign which saw eventual winners Italy dive their way to victory (FACT), and how we can improve the A-League.
Let’s talk World Cup. Congratulations on qualifying, it must be so exciting for you and for the squad. You guys went so deep in 2006 and obviously competed again in 2010, what did you learn in those previous two campaigns that you’ll take into 2014? I think for me 2006 was the first World Cup in 35 years that we had been to. And what I can take from that campaign personally was being the first goalscorer ever for Australia in the World Cup, That was pretty special. As a team, the experience of getting knocked out by Italy to a dubious penalty was a learning experience in the sense that it doesn’t always go your way. In South Africa, we got four points, we picked up a win against Serbia and we drew against Ghana but it wasn’t enough to get through. But, again, just the experience of playing on the world stage in the biggest tournament in the world is invaluable. We’ve grown as a team. There’s been a few transitional changes. A lot of youngsters are coming through and older player are retiring. So, overall, as a country we’ve changed the footprint of football and it’s great to be in the mix again this year playing against the last World Cup’s finalists.
Obviously, you guys went so deep in 2006. Deeper than a lot of people had expected and you were knocked out by the eventual champions because, as you say, of a dubious call. Does that Fabio Grosso dive still hurt? No. I think for me I use it as a learning tool. Sometimes in football things happen that you can’t really change. We did everything possible and we weren’t quite there. Still to this day I enjoyed every experience. I remember after the game turning around and seeing how disappointed out fans were – and even around the world – it showed me how far we had come as a footballing nation to be upset when you lose to Italy in a World Cup match. Overall, it was disappointing but I was just thrilled to be a part of the tournament.
You’re not expected to come out of this group, what is the atmosphere and attitude around the squad? I think for me personally, I want to take in the mentality of ‘no fear’. The first game’s against Chile and it’s going to be one of those games where everyone will be quite cautious, careful not to concede. Netherlands will play Spain and whoever gets the results in those two games will dictate the attitude and play for the rest of the match ups in the group. If we win our first game it will really show an intent going forward into the next two games and put the losers on the back foot. If Holland lose to Spain it will all be up for grabs. I think for us, we need to do what Australians do best. Wear our hearts on our sleeves. Play aggressive. We’re a very fit team and in the past we’ve had the quality that can definitely unlock teams. I suppose it’s one of those things where we have to go into the tournament with the intent to do well and not to make up the numbers.
How do you beat a team like Spain who arguably has the greatest midfield of all time? You’re under no illusion that their on the ball skill level is far superior to ours, what’s the game plan for beating a team like that? I guess a lot of teams have tried and failed to beat Spain with all sorts of game plans and weapons. But for us it’s all dictated by the first two games. If Spain wins their first two games that means they’re pretty through the group states so hopefully they rest a few players by then. Overall, they’re exceptional they know where the next pass is going before it comes to them and their movement is unbelievable. All we can do is take the game on and restrict their movement, be in their faces and give them no time to play. But with their quality, a number of international teams have excelled but haven’t had the chance to beat them properly. It’s going to be hard work and it’ll require quality, a solid game plan and a bit of luck. Hopefully they’ve already qualified so they won’t have to play all their top players.
I want to talk to Tim Cahill the footy fan not Tim Cahill the Australian rep player. Who is your favourite going into the World Cup? Obviously you have Spain and Germany from Europe and you can never write off Brazil in their backyard and Argetina have the best player in the world. Who do you see as the favourite of the tournament? Two favourites from me would have to be Germany and Brazil. Germany because they’re building a great team and I think that their discipline and depth is perhaps the best in the world. Brazil purely because they’ve got enough players to fill three teams that could possibly win any competition. Definitely Spain is always going to be close being defending champions but I think it’s going to be a lot harder for them this year. And my outside shot is Belgium.
What have been your highlights playing in the MLS and living in New York City? In the year and a half that I’ve been there the biggest highlight – the club hasn’t won a trophy in eighteen years – we were lucky enough to win the supporters’ shield and win the league last season which was a big thing for the team and the league and the city which was pretty special. Scoring in seven seconds and creating MLS history with the fastest goal ever. Being MVP of my team. Scoring twelves goals. Playing alongside someone like Thierry Henry who I get to partner up front with. A lot of great memories. It’s been a great year for me in my first full season in New York.
Having experience in an American league and having played in the EPL which is probably the biggest football league in the world, from what you’ve learned overseas how do you think we can improve the A-League? Obviously something like the West Sydney Wanderers is such a great story for club football and testament to the passion and hunger fans out there have but what do you think the A-League can do to expand nationally and grow the audience and the fan base that the other codes have built for decades? I think patience and progression is one thing with the A-League. It’s going to take time to build like the other leagues around the world. One thing that I’ve learned from the MLS is that a lot of the organisations own their own stadiums, their own training grounds and they invest heavily into players and their development. For example New York Red Bulls have a $300m facility just for football just outside New York. I suppose the way the A-League will grow over time is through investment and sponsorship and people buying into the game and with that will come growth. I think what Western Sydney Wanderers have done is fantastic and they’re definitely a team that I enjoy watching. Especially for the fans, I haven’t seen anything like that in Australia. It’s a team we should be very proud of.
Will we see you play in the domestic league again? I think right now it’s too early to say because I’ve got a few years left on my contract. I love playing there, I love living there. It’s just one of those ones where I have to wait and see what my opportunities are when my contract runs up.
Tim Cahill is the cover athlete of EA Games’ FIFA 14, available now on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, 3DS, PS4 and Xbox One.
Lead image by Brendon Thorne via Getty.
