Have Australian coaches finally crossed a threshold? Lost in the excitement of some big results during the past fortnight in the Asian Champions League was the contest in the technical area.
Kevin Muscat v Sven-Goran Eriksson; Graham Arnold v Luis Felipe Scolari. Australia 2, Foreigners 0. Not just any foreigners, of course. Eriksson and Scolari are two of the biggest names in world coaching. "Felipao" has won 22 trophies, including the World Cup. Eriksson has coached in two World Cups. Few people outside Australia have heard of Muscat and Arnold. A breakthrough? That depends.
Listen carefully to what Scolari had to say after the match about the Sydney FC side that usurped his Guangzhou Evergrande team, the richest club in Asia. "They have a great team. They are a strong team, a very organised team, and it's a team which is very good tactically," he said. 
"Arnie" had gone into the match under enormous pressure after a string of poor results. He came out of his corner with a change of game plan, and it worked a treat. Arguably the best result of his coaching career may open doors overseas, such is the way of these things. At the very least, Arnold couldn't have wished for a better testimonial.
Arnold, on the basis of his CV, is a coach in his prime. Muscat is a coach in his development phase. There are fundamental differences in approach, recruitment, and tactics, partly because of the generational difference. Muscat's peers include Tony Popovic and John Aloisi. Arnold's generation includes Aurelio Vidmar and Frank Farina.
Those brainwashed by the coach education system like to infer the new breed is superior to the old. Rubbish. Australian coaches have been international class for a long time, it's just the cultural cringe in this country has refused to recognise the fact. What matters is that long overdue recognition could finally be coming. What Muscat and Arnold have achieved in the past couple of weeks will reverberate, be sure of that.
The ACL is, of course, not just a shop window for players. So it's worth noting that the two biggest achievements in Asian competition also came with Australian coaches in charge. Popovic won the ACL with Western Sydney Wanderers, Vidmar made the final with Adelaide United. Eventually, inevitably, the rest of the world - especially Asia - will stumble onto the fact that Australian coaches are not just as good as anyone else, but they're driven by the challenge of proving it.
No one is more driven to advance the cause than Ange Postecoglou, who is readying himself for two important World Cup qualifiers later this month. Postecoglou is the reigning Asian Coach of the Year, thanks to his historic achievement of winning Australia's first major trophy, the Asian Cup.
In theory, he'll be leading the Socceroos to the 2018 World Cup. In practice, he's a coach in high demand abroad. Whether Football Federation Australia can keep him for another couple of years will be a test. One thing's for sure. If Postecoglou does go overseas, he will go as a flag-waving Australian.
Born in Athens, it would be easier for his job prospects to sell himself as a Greek coach. Just like Branko Culina was once told to advertise himself as Croatian if he wanted a job in China. But Postecoglou would never muddy the waters. And if he does end up with a serious job overseas, bet on him succeeding. That being the case, the door might finally open for others to follow.
The good news is the production line of emerging coaches shows no sign of slowing down. What's changed is that the new breed has more professional opportunities, thanks to the A-League, than its predecessors. At a recent Pro Licence course in Melbourne, Mark Rudan, Ross Aloisi, Jean Paul de Marigny, Jamie Harnwell, Clayton Zane, Ufuk Talay and Gareth Naven polished off their qualification. Now they're all ready for the next step.
But until Australian coaches start going overseas, or until the A-League expands, those opportunities will remain relatively scarce. That's why what Postecoglou, Muscat and Arnold are achieving is so important. Perceptions matter, but results matter even more. Australian coaches may finally be on the verge of getting the respect they deserve.