Thailand striker wants to beat Vietnam as gift for newborn son

Tasa's wife gave birth to a son on Sunday while he was in Hanoi training with the Thailand national team. The 23-year-old striker is thrilled to become a father and is eager to return home to see his son, but first, he must fulfill his national duty.

"I want to help Thailand beat Vietnam," Tasa said on the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) website. "When my son grows up, I will tell him that I was serving the national team and winning matches."

Tasa is a recent addition to the Thailand national team, having been called up by coach Masatada Ishii, who is prioritizing young talent to gradually replace veteran players like Chanathip Songkrasin, Theerathon Bunmathan and Teerasil Dangda. Tasa has previously faced Vietnam at the youth level, including in the 2020 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Hanoi, where Thailand lost 0-4 in the final fixture and in SEA Games 31 in 2022, where they lost 0-1 in the final.

"Vietnam are a strong team in Southeast Asia, so we cannot be careless," Tasa said. "They have the home advantage, so Thailand need to stay focused."

Due to typhoon Yagi, Thailand's scheduled match against Russia on Saturday was canceled, forcing the team to continue practicing at their hotel and training ground. Tasa acknowledged that the pitch condition at My Dinh was not ideal but said he would review training videos to adapt and avoid mistakes during the match.

Standing 1.8 m tall, Korawich started at the youth team of Muangthong United and joined the first team in 2018. He was a teammate of goalkeeper Dang Van Lam during the 2019 and 2020 seasons before moving to Bangkok United, Ubon UMT United, BG Pathum United and Ratchaburi. This summer, he returned to Muangthong. Despite his experience, Tasa has yet to establish himself as a top striker in Thai League 1, with only nine goals in 94 matches.

The Vietnam-Thailand match will take place at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at My Dinh Stadium. To secure a place in the lineup, Tasa will need to compete with three other young strikers, Suphanat Mueanta, Teerasak Poeiphimai and Patrik Gustavsson.

Thailand have not lost to Vietnam since the 0-1 defeat at the 2019 King’s Cup. Since then, the teams drew 0-0 in two matches of 2022 World Cup second qualifying round. In the AFF Cup, Thailand won 2-0 and drew 0-0 in the 2020 semifinals, followed by a 2-2 draw and a 1-0 victory in the 2022 final.