Michael Brown: Future of football starts now

In 1982, New Zealanders were just happy the All Whites were at the World Cup. As coach John Adshead said at the time, they had won their World Cup by beating China in a dramatic play-off to earn their ticket to Spain.

While New Zealand fans are equally excited to have qualified this time around, more will be expected of the All Whites at this World Cup. Merely making up the numbers won't be good enough. They need to achieve something memorable.

Last time they scored two goals but conceded 12, admittedly against good sides like Brazil and the Soviet Union. That sort of return is unlikely to be acceptable this time around.

Football is at an interesting crossroads in New Zealand. The game's profile has grown exponentially over the past 18 months because of the Wellington Phoenix's thrilling ride to the verge of the A-League grand final, Auckland City's run at the Club World Cup and what the under-17s and women have done in their respective competitions. But the biggest imprint has been made by the All Whites.

It started on November 14 when they beat Bahrain and has continued with impressive showings against Australia, Serbia, Slovenia and Chile.

They now need to translate that into a result at the World Cup. A draw would be significant, a win would be fantastic. Qualifying for the second round is not as unrealistic as it might have sounded three months ago - but it would still be monumental.

Any result would change perceptions about football within New Zealand. It would go from a game we dominate at Oceania level, to one we can compete in at a world level.

It might also convince Fifa to retain the present World Cup qualification pathway - the Oceania winner would continue to play off against the fifth-placed Asian side.

That would only enhance New Zealand's chances of qualifying for another World Cup sooner than another 28 years. There's a lot to be excited about in this All Whites' side.

Not only is Ryan Nelsen there, arguably New Zealand's second-best player in history behind Wynton Rufer, but they have players who can actually make a difference in a game like Rory Fallon, Shane Smeltz and Leo Bertos.

They also have a number of youngsters who can expect to be around for some time in the future, like impressive defenders Winston Reid and Tommy Smith and imposing striker Chris Wood.

Fans can feel optimistic about the future and they can also feel hopeful about the present. The All Whites' best chance of a result will be in their first match against Slovakia on Tuesday.

They will go into that with some confidence after their defeat of Serbia and solid showings against Australia and Slovenia.

If they can get something out of that game, it will at least mean they will likely still be alive when they play their final group match against Paraguay on June 25.

It is a big responsibility that rests with this All Whites side. It won't necessarily be a disaster if they lose all three games. But imagine what might happen to football in this country if they can actually win a game.

It will be the best marketing campaign the game can come up with.