2010 World Cup Player Profile: Tim Cahill, Australia’s Giant Slayer

Cahill is half-Samoan (on his mother’s side) and played for that nation briefly at the U-17 level, a heritage he proudly displays on his arm with some of the best ink in the game:

Is 5’10” and plays one of the more physical styles in world football, his aerial proficiency a constant reminder to all us couch-sitting keyboard jockeys that we could have been so much more.

Harry Kewell, another player who plied his club trade in Liverpool, used to be the player most readily associated with the Socceroos, but just as Tim Cahill’s gladiatorial approach to the game has done at both Millwall and Everton, the Sydney-born talent has made himself the face of his team. Yet, it is only through a fortunate (and ultimately reversed) FIFA ruling that Cahill did not become the face of the Irish footballing world.

Having an Irish father, Cahill had expressed a desire to go to Japan-Korea (2002) with Mick McCarthy and the Republic of Ireland. Ultimately, he was barred by a FIFA ruling which claimed two matches played as a 14-year-old in a western Samoan U-20 competition obligated him to play for that nation as an adult. With the same logic, FIFA had alsso barred Cahill from competing with Australia at the 2000 Summer Olympics, leaving the native Australian in international soccer limbo.

By 2004, FIFA had reversed course, and Cahill was cleared to debut for another nation. This time, he chose his native Australia. The addition payed-off in Australia’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup, with Cahill scoring six goals in as many matches during Oceania’s qualifying tournament. In typical Cahill fashion, all six goals were scored with his head.

The newly confirmed Australian international would go on to score twice in Germany 2006, win the Australian FA’s Player of the Year for 2009, and lead the Socceroos through Asian confederation qualifying, into South Africa 2010.

So it was that a half-Irish, half-Samoan midfielder-turned-English footballing forward became the figurehead of Australian football.

Cahill just completed his sixth season at Goodison Park and is reported to be on the verge of extending his deal with the Toffees by four years, a pact which could keep him with Everton until 2016.

For the club, Cahill has turned from a sometime-midfielder to a supporting striker, spending the past season playing off French striker Louis Saha. In that role, Cahill has 10 all-competition goals in 40 matches, the third time in his six Toffee seasons he has reached double-digit goals. He has never failed to score at least seven.

Despite not being a tall player, Cahill dominates the game in the air, scoring his first nine goals of the season with his head. That combined with his tenacious and physical style of play have helped make him a fan favorite at Goodison Park.

For the Socceroos, Cahill plays a similar role but with greater effect, with Australia coach Pim Verbeek most often using his talisman in support of striker Joshua Kennedy. Combined with his 6’5” partner, Cahill tormented the Socceroos’ new Asian Football Confederation peers, seeing a surprisingly easy road through qualifying paved by their competition’s inability to adjust to Australia’s proficiency in the air.

Cahill recorded braces against Qatar and Japan as Australia won their qualifying group, winning six and losing none of their eight final stage matches.

The stylistic advantages Cahill and Australia enjoyed in qualifying will be absent against the likes of Germany and Serbia (Ghana is Group D’s other team). Germany’s quality transcends anything Australia saw in the AFC, while Serbia’s size (no starter under 5’11”) and prowess in the air make them a particularly troublesome match for the Socceroos.

While such obstacles may (or may not) phase the less-experienced Australian players, Cahill will be in his element, having become accustomed to tirelessly challenging Premier League defenders. While still only shoulder-height to the likes of Per Mertesacker and Nemanja Vidic, Cahill could use the World Cup as another platform to show he’s one of the biggest players in the game.