"Think about what Park Hang-seo showed in Vietnam".
Thailand defeated home team Singapore 3-1 in the second match of Group C of the 2026 North American Football Confederation (NAFTA) World Cup Asia-Pacific Second Qualifying Round at the Singapore National Stadium on July 21. With a 1-1 record, Thailand (+1) leapfrogged China (1-1, -2) into second place in the group. Singapore dropped to last place with two losses.
Thailand lost its first game against China 1-2. Singapore suffered a 0-5 loss to South Korea in Seoul. With one loss apiece, it was a game neither team could afford to lose.
Thailand struck first. In the fifth minute of the first half, Sarachat pounced on an aerial ball from Thailand's Panya and rattled the net with his right foot. It looked like an easy win for Thailand. But Singapore, backed by their home fans, were not to be denied.
Singapore fought back. In the 41st minute, Song Eui-Young picked up the ball from Pandy and stabbed it home. Shawal Anouar, who was rushing into the box, slotted it in with his right foot to equalize. The South Korean was credited with the assist. The score was 1-1 in favor of Singapore.
Thailand, who thought they were going to win, panicked. There was a lot of rough play from both teams. Thailand eventually scored the winning goal. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Supanat Buenta slotted home a goal to make it 2-1.
Thailand continued to play rough, with Sarachat, who scored the first goal, receiving a yellow card. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Mueanta converted a ball from Dangda into the middle of the net. In the end, a dominant Thailand held on to beat Singapore away from home.
Despite the win, Thailand coach Mano Polking's job remains precarious. The Thais face 'top-ranked' South Korea in back-to-back home-and-home matches in the third and fourth rounds, so one wrong move could see them slip to the bottom of the table.
As a result, the Thais are considering changing their head coach. At this point, veteran coaches from Korea and Japan are being considered. At this point, the most likely candidate is Japanese-born Thai coach Masatada Ishii. 토토
After winning league and cup titles with Kashima Antlers and finishing as Club World Cup runners-up, Masatada has been in charge of Samut Prakan City and Buriram United in Thailand since 2019. He has also been a technical advisor to Thai soccer since 2023.
Another candidate is Park Hang-seo, former head coach of the Vietnam national soccer team. The Thai soccer legend, who also played in the K League, told Thailand's Siam News, "Masatada is the most likely candidate at this point. He has been in Thailand for a long time and is familiar with the situation in Thailand."
"Park Hang-seo was good at unleashing the potential of players in Vietnam," said Phiamphong, who has strong ties to Korean soccer in the past. He paid a lot of attention to discipline and training," he said, adding, "Malaysia and Indonesia have Korean coaches, so why not Thailand."