Fans (of a certain age) of the U.S. soccer team remember what this was like. The national team would play a game against a small nation from far away, and the crowd would be lousy … and perhaps a majority of the people there would be partisans of the visiting nation.

I distinctly remember the 99-percent Costa Rican crowd at a crucial World Cup qualifier at El Camino College in Torrance, California, in 1985. It’s a junior college, and the stadium holds maybe 10,000 people. It was packed, but by fans of the Ticos.

Costa Rica won, 1-0, the U.S. was out of the World Cup and the “home” crowd celebrated hours after the match.

It isn’t quite that bad in the UAE … but it’s on the spectrum.

Today, I did a comment piece wondering where UAE fans are, and quoting some people who want them to show up for a key London Olympics qualifier on Wednesday.

Two key differences between soccer crowds in the UAE and U.S.:

–Though the UAE has a population of about 8 million, barely 1 million are Emiratis. Nationals, that is. Citizens. And expats here have shown very little interest in UAE football. (Plus, the two largest expat groups, Indians and Pakistanis, who account for about 3.5 million people here … have almost zero interest in soccer.)

So, 1 million locals … that is not a large group from which to fill a stadium of 45,000. Especially when we cut that population number in half to 500,000 because Emirati women rarely attend soccer matches. It’s a guy thing, even if the guys say it doesn’t have to be. The idea of Emirati women sitting among Emirati men … not happening. And very few kids under 12 attend, either. Not even boys.

So, that’s a reasonable excuse for poor crowds — not enough people in the country. As opposed to the 300 million people in the U.S. who ought to be able to fill a stadium with U.S. soccer fans.

–However … soccer is not the national sport of the U.S., and was even less significant the further back in time we go. Football is the national sport of the UAE, and shouldn’t the national teams be able to generate big draws? (Especially when no admission is charged.)

As I noted in the column, the last two times the Under 23 team (the would-be Olympic team) played home games, the crowds were 6,000 and 4,000. Which is pathetic. Like the U.S. and Iceland in 1993.

The coach of the UAE U23 team complained that the home game against Iraq in November drew more Iraq fans than it did Emirati fans. And the UAE isn’t particularly known for having a lot of Iraqi expats in it.

Wondering about crowds is pertinent because of the key match with Australia on Wednesday. if the UAE wins, it will be no worse than tied for first, with Uzbekistan, with one group game left — at Uzbekistan on March 14.

Getting the soccer team to the Olympics would be a very, very big deal for the UAE. In part, because it never has happened before. And, generally, the UAE is one of those sad countries that you see during the parade of nations, at Opening Ceremonies, where about six athletes and five administrators are walking behind their flag.

To have another 20 guys going to London … well, the UAE would look much more impressive in the parade. Plus, Emiratis would pay close attention to the team.

It would be the second-biggest accomplishment in the history of the national team, actually, behind only the berth in the 1990 World Cup.

So, my commentary includes quotes from a radio guy, and a former pro soccer player, who pretty much insists that Emiratis turn out for the game on Wednesday.

The match is being played in one of the two biggest stadiums in the country, Mohammed bin Zayed, home of the Al Jazira club (and about a 10-minute walk from my apartment in Abu Dhabi) … and 10,000 people — or as many as the UAE drew for two games in Al Ain — would still look like a small crowd.

The UAE is going to need at least 20,000 to experience the rare sensation of playing before a big crowd that is rooting for them.

The Yanks of the 1990s, for sure, could relate to that.