Thailand’s men’s football team begin their 20th Asian Games campaign on Wednesday against Kyrgyzstan at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi, with coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul insisting his side can mount a serious challenge in a group that also features hosts Japan.
Speaking at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference, Thawatchai thanked the Japanese organisers for their hospitality and said involvement in Asia’s largest multi-sport event was an honour for his squad.
He added that facing Japan in Group A offered a valuable opportunity to test his players against top-class opposition, even as Thailand’s immediate priority remains progression from the group stage.
The coach was at pains to stress that Thailand possess no individual star names, framing this as a strength rather than a weakness.
He drew comparisons with Japan’s own collective approach, noting that the influence of Japanese coaches who have worked in Thailand, both with clubs and the national team, has shaped his squad’s thinking. Several Thai players who spent time in Japan have since returned home to raise standards in the domestic league and national side, he said.
Thawatchai also praised the tournament’s organisation, citing tight security, comfortable accommodation and food to the players’ liking, as well as a training base close to the team hotel. He noted that conditions in Aichi were not dissimilar to those in Thailand.
On the opening opponents, Thawatchai said Thailand had run the rule over Kyrgyzstan during a warm-up fixture in the June Fifa international window, and that the analysis gathered then had informed preparations. He predicted a tight, competitive contest.
Several of his players have also faced Japanese opposition at junior level, experience he believes will prove useful as the tournament unfolds.
Thailand share Group A with Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong, with matches played on a round-robin basis before the top two in each group advance to the knockout stage.
Thailand’s best finish at the Asian Games remains fourth place, achieved in Beijing in 1990, Bangkok in 1998, Busan in 2002 and Incheon in 2014, a record Thawatchai’s squad will be quietly hoping to match or better on Japanese soil.
Kyrgyzstan represent an unfamiliar but far from unknown quantity for the Thais, given the summer meeting between the two sides, and Thawatchai’s emphasis on collective organisation over individual flair suggests a coach keen to manage expectations while still targeting a positive opening result.
Women suffer Japan rout
Thailand’s women endured a chastening start to their own Asian Games campaign, being beaten 8-0 by hosts Japan in the group stage at Shizuoka Stadium on Monday night.
Yoshino Nakashima helped herself to a hat-trick, scoring in the third, 37th and 41st minutes, while Saori Takarada also struck three times, in the 70th, 74th and 79th minutes.
Chiina Kamiya opened the scoring for Japan in the 30th minute before Kotono Sakakibara completed the rout with an 88th-minute strike, as the hosts claimed a maximum three points in emphatic fashion.
Attention now turns to Thailand’s second outing, against Taiwan on Thursday at 2pm, in a fixture the team will regard as a considerably more realistic opportunity to open their account and steady the campaign.