By Craig Foster
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The three questions most asked about the Asian Cup are: How important is it? What are Australia's chances? And what is the minimum, acceptable performance level for the home nation?
The tournament is one of the most important cultural events this country has ever staged.
Hot hosts: The Socceroos train in Melbourne.Credit: Wayne Taylor
It is Australia's coming out as a member of Asia.
Being a guest is easy, politeness and some hastily acquired cultural norms suffice. But as any party host well knows, being the inviter is a different prospect altogether, especially when our other 15 guests are here for almost a month.
Superficial welcomes soon wear thin, and the truth takes over.
This is when the years of preparation must culminate is more than niceties, in a deep connection and demonstrated empathy with each nation and culture. Few tournaments in our history have possessed such a challenge in diversity.
This is a country where, to date, a Mandarin-speaking prime minister is something of an oddity.
The next few weeks will show how far we have come and serve as an opportunity for us to better understand our neighbours.
You and I, of course, are party to this aim, but the real test will be with young Australians, whose entire political, cultural and commercial reality will be informed by our fellow contestants over the next few weeks. It is the kids the Asian Cup much touch in order to truly to benefit the nation.
Organisers have the task of leaving just this sort of legacy for the money spent as hosts.
Increasingly, the Asian Cup is Australia. Following on from the initial English and Irish immigrants and thereafter those from the Mediterranean, the face of this beautiful nation today is becoming more Asian year by year. About 12 per cent of the population have at least one parent of Asian heritage, and that proportion is growing.
What better timing than is there for a tournament that not just includes our near neighbours but represents the very face of who we are and what we are becoming? This is a precious opportunity to better understand ourselves.
Australia can, and really should, win this tournament.
Organisers will have worked hard to make business and political connections a central part of the agenda, and Australia has come to recognise there is no better way in most corners of the planet to accomplish this than with football diplomacy.
Speaking of which, let's hope the Socceroos have been reminded of their obligations as hosts to ensure they lead the way in understanding and graciousness. Recent comments about the supposed time wasting of opponents was not a helpful start.
Play hard, represent the nation on field and off, and leave the cliches out of the public discourse. Some teams in Asia waste time, yes. So, too, in South America, Europe, or anywhere else.
Recently, I saw Chelsea doing so under Jose Mourinho, and Perth Glory did not look too keen to restart play against the Victory late on Friday evening. So unless you want to add the Portuguese, English, and just about anyone else, don't perpetuate the mistakes of the past.
This raises the question, before we explore minimum expectations, of how Australia will act if the tournament does not go well?
Will we be gracious hosts, proud to stage a fantastic cup for our region and generous in our praise and enthusiasm? Or will we turn off like spoilt kids, used only to winning, more especially at home? We shall see.
What, then, are our realistic chances, given a somewhat complicated build-up without the spread of results to give comfort as the Cup lies before us?
To win it, nothing less. Australia are always extremely strong at home, and many of our opponents have proved the opposite since our first forays in 2006. The Japan game showed some elements that bode very well.
With around a week in camp, the team demonstrated a measurable jump in performance level, and there is slightly more time to work before the first match next Friday against Kuwait in Melbourne.
The draw is favourable, with Oman coming before the final group match against South Korea, giving the opportunity to grow as a team.
Unlike Brazil 2014, coach Ange Postecoglou is not faced with numerous, long-term injuries, and key players are fit and available.
Robbie Kruse is back, Matty Ryan is performing well in Belgium and Nathan Burns is striking top form at the perfect moment for a team struggling to score goals without the reliance on Timmy Cahill.
As the tournament progresses, I expect the team to grow in confidence, for the public to get fired up about their potential to win a continental trophy, and for crowds to be vocal and staunchly parochial, something that the 2005 Uruguay match showed makes a huge difference.
The last real favourite to host the Cup was Japan in 1992, which they duly won.
Since then, nations with no realistic chance of success staged the tournament, and yet China made the final in 2004, feeding on their local support.
Additionally, both Japan and South Korea recently changed coaches, and are in a similar transitional phase to the Socceroos, opening up the field.
With respect to all our opponents, Australia can, and really should, win this tournament.
What, then, would constitute success or failure?
The minimum should be to make the final. From there, fortune plays a part and everything must go right on the day.
Broadly, the minimum is for Australia to emerge in a few weeks' time with a better understanding of who we are, of the cultures that make up our region, and to demonstrate to hundreds of millions of neighbours that we have become part of Asia as an equal, neither above nor below.
With one exception, of course - on the field of play where we want to be humble, but to reign supreme. Go, the Socceroos.