We should expect a much improved performance this month on home soil from the national team, which has been more than a year under Ange Postecoglou's care.

Ange has had five months to fine-tune the squad since the World Cup, and the young contingent will undoubtedly be better for their Brazil experience.

On paper, the results didn't look appealing.

But for most players, the tournament was the perfect opportunity to gain experience on the world stage.

And that will be handy over the next month.

World Cup standout Mathew Leckie looks poised to go up another gear.

The former Adelaide United attacker has been one of the A-League's best exports in recent years and can continue his rise in front of Australian crowds.

He should be well supported by our other key man, Tim Cahill, whose experience will inspire the boys to lift under the pressure of hosting the tournament.

It all begins on Friday when Australia take on Kuwait in Melbourne.

The excitement levels have been building around the country.

Wollongong fans got a taste last weekend when Iraq and Iran met at WIN Stadium.

It was a huge success for the region, with more than 5500 people turning up on a wet and windy Sunday evening.

By all reports, both sets of fans created a great atmosphere for their countries' final warm-up match.

It was the perfect way to carry on the momentum from the first A-League fixture in Wollongong the night before.

A crowd of 11,377 put the FFA on notice when Sydney FC hosted the Newcastle Jets at WIN Stadium.

If the governing body didn't already have enough reminders about the Illawarra's hunger for football, it received yet another last weekend.

Credit to everyone who got out there.

Another body blow

TUESDAY'S loss to the Melbourne Victory was tough to take.

To play well and come from a goal down against one of the best teams in the competition - that was a great indication of how we can compete at our best.

But if there ever was a sign of how things go when you're at the bottom, it was in their match winner.

Against the run of play, just as we were putting things together again, Melbourne handed us a body blow to steal the match 2-1.

It keeps us winless on the bottom of the league as the competition heads into recess for the Asian Cup.

Western Sydney will be using the time off to head north.

From Monday, the squad will travel to Coffs Harbour for a training camp to stay on top of things while matches are put on hold.

For every club, including us, the period provides the perfect chance to recharge the batteries before a busy second half of the season.

We are still setting our target on finals football but will need a good result when we return against Melbourne City on February 1.

It's a match I am targeting for my own return after an extended stint on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

Goals have been hard to come by at the Wanderers this season.

So it'll be something I hope I can provide in spades at the back of the campaign.