Bangkok: "Coach Wang" Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, the new head coach of the Thai national football team under 23, led the team in their first training session before competing in the ASEAN Championship.
According to Thai News Agency, the Thailand national men's football team under 23 years old had their first training session yesterday under the supervision of "Coach Wang" Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul. He was recently appointed to replace Takayuki Nishigaya, who was dismissed from his position by the Football Association. The training took place at the Yamaoka Hanasaka Academy in preparation for the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship, scheduled to occur from July 15 to 29.
In this training session, Coach Wang emphasized physical conditioning for all 23 athletes and appointed Seksan Ratree as team captain. Other players in the squad include Chanaphat Buaphan, Sittha Boonla, Phanmit Prapan, and Yotsakorn Burapa. The coach highlighted the importance of improving the team's attack, noting that while the players are adept at creating opportunities, their finishing requires enhancement. The team's objective is to win the championship, and they will have one warm-up match against Police Tero FC before traveling to Jakarta, Indonesia.
The ASEAN Football Championship program for Group 23 includes Thailand's first match against Timor Leste on July 19 at 8:00 p.m., followed by a match against Myanmar on July 22 at the same time. The group stage competition will advance the three group champions and the best-performing second-place team from the three groups to the next round.