Ask anyone who has been following the SPL in recent times and the spectre of the Thai capital’s up-and-coming club comes to the fore. Their fate seems to be interlinked with regional developments as a whole, in tandem with how the Thai league has become better funded and regional teams investing in key players.
They have been familiar faces to both Sailors and Tampines, and when absorbing players from both teams make them just as interesting as any other team in the SPL, it remains to be seen how these transfers can translate to results especially in the ACL Two.
History
Rising from its university club origins after being founded in 1988, the capital club has been part of the league system since their founding.
Having tasted continental action in its previous incarnation, the Angels are now bankrolled by the wealthy family behind True Telecom and the CP agribusiness fortune not unlike the leading Korean clubs in the K-League . It seems like a friendly rivalry of sorts with their neighbours BG Pathum United where fan trouble between neighbours seems non-existent, and business relations between the Singha Beer conglomerate and True are cordial enough to allow their joint stadium naming rights to go through.
Even in a league awash with corporate backers, their rise to the top only happened gradually towards the end of the last decade. Having consistently stayed at the top of the game despite the behemoth status of Buriram United, the time has come for Bangkok to make a splash on the continental stage and try to crack the ACL Elite again.
Stadium
Unusually (but thankfully) BUTD has opted for a ground share with their local rivals BGPU at the modern True BG Stadium (aka the Pathum Thani Stadium). The vast, creaking and unloved 1990s bowl that is the Thammasat has been swept aside as the Angels bid goodbye to the hellishly rundown facilities of old (and the Crew aren’t going to miss the threadbare atmosphere from their previous visit in 2023 which ended in a 1-0 defeat that knocked us out)
The compact stadium does offer proper concessionary stalls that the CP owned club could do to harness commercial potential through merchandise booths and food options. It also means that unlike the last visit, which we played Port in 2024 (after an aborted attempt last season due to the unpredictable storms typical of Bangkok) there will be refreshments on hand after a long night of cheering.
Man on the Hot Seat
(Totch)Tawan Sripan is well placed to observe the evolution of our clubs, from the heady pioneering days of Home United and Tampines as an attacking midfielder for the Sembawang Rangers, to writing his own glorious Bangkok chapters alongside how we have grown as a club since 2020. Now one of the finest local coaches in the country, his clearly defined attacking 433 has been a rare beacon of stability in a league which has not been exactly patient with its managers.
Who’s Who?
Unlike Buriram’s buy-and-buy approach similar to JDT, BUTD has been quite wise on the transfer front given that some familiar faces remain as key continuity figures in the team, while developing a base pipeline of local talent instead of cherry picking national team mainstays to top off their foreigner-heavy lineups.
GK: Patiwat Khammai remains the mainstay for club and country, recently starting in the two key ACQ victories against Chinese Taipei that keeps them in the running against Turkmenistan until the final day in Mar 2026. Neither of his backups manage to stay long in the club, and it is up to Phuwadol Phulsongkram to grow that one substitute appearance into something more substantial. Unlike our rotation between Izwan and Ivan that fosters healthy competition, even Nur Adib would have seen more action than Chinnapong Raksri.
DF: A wild suggestion for the War Elephants: Everton Saturnino should have been naturalized on residency grounds and make his international debut like how Aleksandar Duric did so at an advanced age, such is his longevity (7 years and counting) and clutch goals (of which we were the unfortunate victims in Sep 2023). As much as it is a pipe dream, the BUTD captain is well on his way to becoming a club legend there.
Stability has been key for this defensive group, with only ageing left-back Peerapat Notchaiya choosing to leave and become our former Sailor Anumanthan’s team mate deep in the Kanchanaburi jungle. No biggie as Wanchai Jarunongkran has comfortably stepped up as Peerapat’s successor on all fronts.
Both fullback slots are well stocked, with Pratama Arhan giving Wanchai some competition on the left side while Nittipong Selanon has made the right back slot his own, rendering Boontawee Theppawong rather redundant in that case. That being said, local veteran centrebacks Manuel Bihr and Suphan Thongsong will have to make do with the bench after the astute acquisition of Saudi-based Philipe Maia to pair with Everton (no more catching Thongsong with his pants down, ouch); no such problems for Jakkapan Praisuwan as his versatility as a defensive midfield screen does afford him a few appearances.
MF: The great elephant in the room is Kyoga Nakamura. As much as this hard grafter remains a tireless presence from his Tampines days, the more senior and experienced Pokklaw Anan remains preferred over Kyoga in his favoured attacking midfield role. Thitipan “Tits” Puangchan and Weerathep Phompan’s impactful partnership in both matches against Chinese Taipei has been built upon a solid understanding over the three seasons since we first saw them in continental action. At least we have come a long way from the disappointment of “Tits” pinching victory from us on our ACL Two debut at Jalan Besar. Midfield reserve Wisarut Imura and young prospect Natcha Promsomboon might be dangerous if called upon.
Montenegro international Nebojsa Kosovic, surprisingly, has some history with Singapore, having scored a brace against our Youth Olympics team at Jalan Besar when we hosted the inaugural showpiece. As a replacement for Bassel Jradi, the well-travelled former Partizan player seems to have had a slow start with the Angels, having appeared sparingly only in continental action (of which he is registered instead of in the league). With 34 caps in midfield for Montenegro until recent times, Kico’s vast international experience might be helpful despite him still seeking a career revival after Meizhou Hakka and a failed stint at Saudi club Al Tai.
Rungrath Poomchantuek might have lost some pace since our encounter with him in 2023, but the experienced and dedicated midfield flanker remains just as dangerous in attack given the tendency to build up attacks from a central midfield fulcrum. That winner against the Sailors in our Thammasat misadventure is a stark reminder of the threat he still poses even as our Bangkok away days have become as fruitful as they come.
FW: This is where it gets truly stacked, even without counting our former Sailor Richairo Zivkovic who has been prolific in the Thai league thus far with his 4 goals currently putting him as top scorer in the team (and joint fourth with Itsuki Enomoto in the league golden boot behind the ridiculously good Guilherme Bissoli). As much as we want to have a proper reunion with our trilingual cult hero post-match, our main aim is to keep him scoreless as usual on continental matches.
Seia Kunori has also settled well in the Thai league, having Itsuki, Kyoga and a whole raft of SPL connections for company in his new settings. With 3 goals thus far, it is a matter of time before he brings back the continental form from last season that attracted BUTD to acquire their former nemesis and address their lack of a false nine in the hole behind Richi and Muhsen (having scored in both matches back then at Tampines, and with some previous history between all three players)
We would do well to be alert of the hefty wingman Ilyas al-Haft, Richi’s fellow Dutchman having announced himself on his ACL Two debut with a brace against Selangor. As a former Netherlands youth international schooled extensively in the Eredivisie and Eerste Klasse (just like Richi and Luka), Ilyas might be BUTD’s antidote to Bart and Maxime should the Angels choose to press high and win the flank tussle. Time is running out thus for Luka Adzic to make an impact on the business end of the pitch, although the Serbian winger seems happy to put in a good shift pressing opposing wingers up front and disrupting our wing buildups in the process.
Meanwhile Omani star striker and 2021 AFC Cup winner Muhsen al-Ghassani has been an excellent replacement for Mahmoud Eid in being their sharp spearhead of their attacking triumvirate. Throw in the evergreen Teerasil Dangda who still pops in a goal or two even at the ripe old age of 37, and our centrebacks can ill-afford to take their eyes off either of these experienced lethal finishers connecting off the strong flank attacks either from down low or high crosses.
The loyal Chayawat Srinawong remains a popular figurehead in the team despite being increasingly sidelined with no appearances thus far, young prospect Guntaphon Keereeleang being allowed some time to showcase glimpses of his potential to refresh the squad in the medium term.
Conclusion
A win away at Bangkok United would provide a massive boost to our qualification chances in a very tight Group G, and a small contingent of Sailors’ fans will be at the BG stadium to cheer the boys on. If you are watching from home, do consider joining the watch party at Mattar!
Written by Joseph Chin
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