Former Socceroo John Kosmina has backed the inclusion of a Canberra team into the A-League and believes the forthcoming Asian Cup will bring a new football market to Australia.
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But Kosmina admits the public's expectations on the Socceroos need to be revised, with a semi-finals appearance for a team now ranked outside the top 100 in the world a solid result.
Canberra will host seven games of the Asian Cup, including a quarter-final, from January 10 to 23 next year, while also hosting Qatar and Oman in the lead-up to the tournament.
Ticket sales for the Canberra Stadium games have been slow, with Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy concerned at the level of support.
While there are no promises that strong crowds will help with Canberra's bid for inclusion to the A-League, Kosmina said it made sense for the national capital to be given a team the next time expansion was back on the table.
"I think it's a great way for Canberrans to make a statement about having an A-League team," Kosmina said.
"It's the national capital. You've got a rugby league team, you've got a rugby union team, why couldn't you have a football team in the A-League that united Canberra like when Adelaide United first begun?
"Canberra's got to be a consideration."
Kosmina was in Canberra on Wednesday at the Asian Cup interactive exihibit at Garema Place, which has its final day on Thursday.
The Socceroos made their first appearance in the Asian Cup in 2007, with Kosmina an assistant to then coach Graham Arnold.
After an impressive performance at the 2006 World Cup, the Socceroos were given a stark reminder of the strength of Asian soccer, losing to Japan in the semi-finals.
The Socceroos have struggled in recent friendlies and have dropped to 102nd in the most recent FIFA rankings, good enough for only 10th in the Asian confederation.
"I think 12 months ago people thought maybe we could win it, but being realistic now, they've had a look at how we've developed and how we played in the World Cup and what players have come in and out of the squad," Kosmina said.
"Personally, if we made the final it would be unbelievable.
"If we won it, it would be even better.
"If we made the semis, that would be a pretty solid performance in where we're trying to get to."
Kosmina was confident the Asian Cup would be a success as the general public embraces the strength of the soccer in the region.
He also believed Canberra product and Western Sydney Wanderers captain and central defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley would be a part of the Socceroos squad at the tournament.
"I worked with Nikolai and I think he was a talent gone to waste a few years ago," Kosmina said.
"I saw glimpses of what he was capable of at Newcastle, but he's certainly good enough to play that position.
"We're a little bit short at the back in terms of seasoned pros, and Nikolai's got a lot of hard yards under his belt in the last two years and that could stand him in good stead."
