By Patrick Fergus
@Fergus5Fergus
The locket is a noteworthy reminder of home. A smooth pendant that opens to show two pictures, one of his mother and one of his father. They help him recall the mornings watching his father play streetball from his garage or the countless hours spent at training facilities perfecting his craft.
Maitoe Suppasuesanguan now readies himself for the upcoming match. As he steps onto the field, the locket still strung around his neck, he remembers who he is playing for.
“Every time I go out there, I want to make them proud,” Suppasuesanguan said.
Nattawut and Ratchatana Suppasuesanguan tune into the live stream back home in the Yannawa district of Bangkok, Thailand, sometimes getting up at one or two in the morning to catch a glimpse of their son thousands of miles away.
“When I look at those photos, it gets me ready to go because I know that they are watching today,” Suppasuesanguan said. “I don’t ever want to let them down, and that always motivates me to keep on playing.”
They tune in to see an elusive and skillful attacking midfielder running down the pitch for the Springfield College men’s soccer team.
The sport was always integral to Suppasuesanguan’s life, even from a young age. His father’s skills in the neighborhood were renowned, and he regularly played with his two siblings, Maireaw and Maipai. They commanded different positions, so there wasn’t any extreme competition between them.
“If anything, we [would] train together and push each other when one of us was feeling down or upset,” Suppasuesanguan said.
It was also easy for Suppasuesanguan to become exposed to the adoration of the local teams. The district was encompassed by the passionate fan base of Thai-Port F.C., a professional Thai Premier League team located nearby in central Bangkok.
At just six, Suppasuesanguan had already secured a spot in Thai-Port F.C’s academy and quickly continued to impress. A year later, he arrived at Bangkok Christian College, which, despite the name, was a private elementary school in downtown Bang Rak and one with a long-standing distinguished reputation for athletics.
His skills were marked by tireless effort, high intensity, remarkable athleticism and technical prowess. Suppasuesanguan calmly weaved between defenders at impressive speeds while keeping the ball glued to his cleats.
The spectacle of his play soon drew the attention of national scouts.
The U12 Thailand National team had scoured the country for talent, narrowing down a pool of over 2,000 players to just 20. Suppasuesanguan was one of the lucky few. However, just as he turned 12, he had to move to the team’s facility and training grounds full-time, which required a swift adaptation to adulthood.
“Being away from home was a big part of what shaped me into who I am,” Suppasuesanguan said. “Got to learn how to take care of myself.”
It was a whole new level of training. While balancing school work, Suppasuesanguan woke up every morning at six to run laps.
The wretched workouts were different every day. Sometimes, it was seven laps around the entire facility in under 12 minutes, or other times, a single lap in under a minute.
Suppasuesanguan was unprepared for the kind of physical exertion that the national team demanded. The countless hours of fierce drills and scrimmages also took a toll.
“It was difficult and very tiring,” Suppasuesanguan said. “I was always good at the technical aspects, but the fitness and conditioning was the hard part, and they prepared you to be ready for the men’s game.”
He was exhausted, but quickly improved. One move that optimized his dribbling and escapability involved grabbing the hip of a trailing defender, inherently making them incapable of turning fast enough to catch up.
“You’ll beat him every time, because the defender can’t overcome the gravity,” Suppasuesanguan said.
As his team traveled to different countries to compete in tournaments, Suppasuesanguan continued to draw attention. British soccer coach Jamie Clark invited Suppasuesanguan, now 16, to play for Dundee United, a professional club in Scotland.
It would mean a new culture and an unfamiliar language. After some hesitation from himself and his parents, a trial run was in order. Suppasuesanguan spent two months training with Dundee United’s U23 team and was even offered a professional contract. However, the team wanted to send him out on loan first, and Croatia was a potential landing spot.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to go. I didn’t know anyone in Croatia, and they don’t speak my language,” Suppasuesanguan said. “What if they don’t like me? How would I survive in a country that is so different?”
Suppasuesanguan had previously learned English but still occasionally struggled with the numerous types of accents and culturally-specific slang terms.
“I know the words, but some can have different meanings,” Suppasuesanguan said. “I think the only way to learn is to experience it.”
At 19, the decision for Suppasuesanguan was straightforward. Either fully commit to turning pro or find a university that allowed him to continue playing but provided a necessary fall-back in case his professional athletic ambitions weren’t attainable.
UC Irvine offered a generous scholarship, but COVID-19 disrupted an otherwise ideal situation like it did for many other athletes. The financial aid that Suppasuesanguan was initially offered was allocated to the returning fifth-year seniors.
Suppasuesanguan’s family was middle class, so he needed a substantial financial aid package to afford college in the U.S. Missouri Valley College, in Marshall, Mo., competes in the NAIA and was the next option, serving as a placeholder until the money at UC Irvine became available. Except, it never did.
After a year at Missouri Valley, where he played every game for the first-year team, his future was still in the air. An offer from Division I Stony Brook was enticing, but he wanted to play, and a starting position wasn’t guaranteed.
“It was very frustrating,” Suppasuesanguan said. “I didn’t really know if they wanted me or not.”
Back in 2019, at a college placement soccer camp in Hong Kong, Springfield College men’s soccer coach Tommy Crabill first met Suppasuesanguan. Years later, that trip would prove to be fruitful as Crabill attempted to get the dazzling skills he saw some time ago onto the turf of Brock-Affleck Field.
“He had communicated through a mutual contact that he was unhappy and wanted to transfer [from Missouri Valley College],” Crabill said. “I remember how talented he was at that camp, and was excited to offer him the opportunity.”
After committing for the fall semester of 2021, the initial plan was once again to transfer after a year to possibly Stony Brook or another higher division school. However, that mindset promptly shifted.
The team was “dirty”, or good in more traditional terms, according to Suppasuesanguan. His tricky dribbling and graceful movements were ideally suited to the team’s playstyle, and after the Pride advanced all the way to the NEWMAC semi-final in his first year, Suppasuesanguan was sold.
“His passion shows through every time,” said Crabill. “The ball moves as if attached to his foot on a string.”
Suppasuesanguan scored three goals in his first season with the Pride, including two game-winners. His success continued in the next two years, logging nearly 20 shots on goal in his junior year, with another impressive showing this past season.
Aside from the stat sheet, Suppasuesanguan had developed into a leader at Springfield—a vocal presence on the field and, still more, someone who leads by example.
“His leadership is often through examples he tries to set with his own behavior,” Crabill said.
Fray Villaman, a sophomore defender, says these experiences and support are critical to the squad.
“Listen to anything that he tells you,” Villaman said. “No matter what position you are in, he will always give good advice.”
It isn’t just on the field, either. The campus, professors and especially the other students created a unique environment and a genuine camaraderie.
Suppasuesanguan, now a finance major on track to graduate in the spring of 2024, was a young man who traveled the world searching for a spot to refine his athletic skills in a comfortable new community.
It wasn’t the streets of Irvine, Calif., or under the cloudy skies in Scotland, but Suppasuesanguan found it at Springfield.
“It really is like a second home to me,” Suppasuesanguan said.
His future still holds a reasonable amount of mystery. Whether he decides to go pro or pursue a career in finance is still something he has to determine.
Nonetheless, Suppasuesanguan carries such a wide range of life experiences, and his diligence on the field can only be matched by his love and admiration for teammates, coaches, friends and family.
Soccer has been his identity and his strength. The everlasting desire to prove his worth to those who have invested in him. An investment that has seemingly paid in full.
After each match, the grass-covered cleats, sweat-drenched jerseys and countless bruises return to the locker room. That passion, though, is with him wherever he goes.
As is, the simple silver locket resting on his chest. To all appearances, it is a light and plain souvenir, but it always carries the weight of so much more.
Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics