I'VE got to admit that when the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) first floated the idea of putting a soccer team in the heart of western Sydney I thought it had marginally more potential than putting an AFL team there.
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But the Western Sydney Wanderers can cap a masterstroke move by Frank Lowy and his organisation by putting in two solid displays in the final of the Asian Champions League, which starts tonight at Pirtek Stadium (Parramatta Stadium).
Unlike most other competitions the Asian Champions League final is played under a home-and-away format, with the Wanderers hosting Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal tonight before making the trek to the Middle East for the return leg.
The ground will be pumping tonight like it did back in the 1980s when Mick Cronin and Peter Sterling were plying their trade with the Parramatta Eels.
The success of the Wanderers has almost single-handedly kept soccer alive in recent years, especially as the Socceroos' ranking has dropped to a record low of 94.
Despite the lack of success of our national team (making a World Cup is fine but being beaten by Qatar isn't) soccer has almost had the perfect storm since the A-League was formed a decade ago.
It was initially the flavour of the month but when interest waned a little bit, the Socceroos were going through a golden patch of form.
The Wanderers have re-invigorated the competition at roughly the same time our national team has started to slide again but I can only see a positive future for the code.
They have made valuable inroads in the Western Sydney market, and with the Eels now being minus their one true star Jarryd Hayne, the Wanderers are arguably the most marketable sporting brand in the ever-growing Western Sydney region.
Combine that with massive interest in Brisbane following the success of the Roar, and the decline of the Broncos and Lions in recent times, and the ever-present support in Melbourne and you have Australia's three strongest markets well and truly behind the game.
Here's hoping the Wanderers put on a show tonight for their 18,000-strong membership base tonight, don't concede a valuable away goal and can take an lead into the trip to Saudi Arabia.
For an Australian team to be crowned the champions of Asia would only strengthen the A-League's reputation and who knows, maybe we can start attracting the likes of Spanish star David Villa to contracts that last longer than four matches.
