Australia's national soccer team players Tim Cahill (C) and captain Mile Jedinak (R) run with teammates during a training session in the Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiaba, June 12, 2014. Australia will play its first match of the 2014 World Cup agains
Australia's national soccer team players Tim Cahill (C) and captain Mile Jedinak (R) run with teammates during a training session in the Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiaba, June 12, 2014. Australia will play its first match of the 2014 World Cup against Chile on June 13 in Cuiaba. REUTERS

Socceroos superstar Tim Cahill will continue playing with a view of making a fourth World Cup appearance in Russia in 2018. Cahill, 35, told AAP that he was optimistic as his weight and fat hasn't changed in 18 years. Brazil 2014 was assumed by many as Cahill's last World Cup appearance.

Australia's all-time leading goal-scorer, Cahill revealed he turned down the chance to return to the English Premier League after this year's World Cup as a move to prolong his international career. He said that he is remaining with the New York Red Bulls of the MLS as playing in the United States as it allows him to keep playing at the international level.

The midfielder also intends to sign another multi-year contract when his Red Bulls expires after the 2015 season and also hinted at a future return to the Premiere League. He played over 200 games each for Millwall and Everton in his 14 years in the Premiere league before joining the Red Bulls in the MLS in 2012. He has totaled 14 goals and 10 assists in over 62 regular-season games for the Red Bulls, plus a goal each in two playoff appearances.

Cahill is set to enter training camp with the Socceroos in Melbourne on Sunday in preparation of Asian Cup opener against Kuwait on January 9. Australia will host the 2015 AFC Asian Cup for the first time next month. The Australians are in Group A with South Korea, Oman, and Kuwait. Cahill, expeced to be a major force for the Socceroos, is one of the seven carryovers from the last Australian team to the Asian Cup in Qatar in 2011 that lost 1-0 to Japan in the finals, along with Nathan Burns, Mile Jedinak, Robbie Kruse, Matt McKay, Tommy Oar and Matthew Spiranovic.

He was part of the Australian team that won an OFC Nations Cup in 2004 with, but the Socceroos have yet to capture an international title since switching from Oceania to Asia in 2006. Cahill was able to score at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, joining an elite group that includes Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben of Netherlands, Miroslav Klose of Germany and Clint Dempsey of the USA.

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