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It was cruel and brutal. For the Thai national team to lose in Sunday's final of the Suzuki Asean Championship in such a manner - conceding a stoppage time goal to give Vietnam the trophy, having fought their way back from a one goal deficit in the first leg - is the worst-case scenario for both soccer players and fans alike.

The Kingdom's dream of winning a record-breaking fourth title was shattered while the whole of Vietnam erupted in an ecstatic frenzy. What dark humour from whoever the "scriptwriter" was, given Thailand's clear-cut domination of this tournament and Vietnam's flirting with disaster throughout the event.

At the end of the day, however, this will be remembered as a great sporting competition that will only provide blessings for soccer in the region. That the black market prices for the tickets to the final reportedly shot up to around Bt10,000 may be a signal that Asean soccer has crossed the threshold where loyal following is concerned. The tournament received proper promotion through regional live broadcasts and was accompanied by heated discussion in "Football Focus", one of the continent's most-watched soccer programmes.

The most promising signs, however, came from the players themselves. Even with the intense passion associated with each game, one had to be cautious that this was yet another false dawn for Southeast Asian football. After all, isn't it always the case that regional players produce great entertainment when they play one another, only to roll over too easily when facing tougher opponents from further afield in Asia. Were the regional players so pumped up by the local rivalry that they looked deceptively better in this latest tournament, or were we witnessing them finally coming of age? Experts in the game have seen considerable improvement in skills, technique and fitness. Physical development remains relatively slower than the other key aspects, yet it was clear that the current crop of regional players are bigger, faster, more skillful, and have greater stamina.

It's been our region's dream to achieve something that remotely resembles European soccer's success in terms of popularity and financial viability. Every time the debate is re-ignited, we often end up debating chicken and egg theories. Should we start with promoting passionate support from the grassroots up, or should all efforts be focused on success on the field? How can we bring about the pure love of the game without the first basic step - promotion, promotion and promotion?

The success of the Asean Championship suggests that we may be closer than we thought. The continued rise of Vietnam and Singapore to challenge Thailand's domination - with Malaysia and Indonesia doing their best to keep up - should be seen as a vehicle to haul regional soccer up to new levels.

The key question - where will the fans come from? - has been answered to some degree in this latest tournament. The fans know great football when they see it. It is as simple as that.

Already, people are looking forward to the next tournament, which will be held two years from now. The two-host formula of the tournament proved attractive and the two-leg final only added to the buzz and excitement across the region. With the current crop of players maturing, and also aided by new talent, and the top teams having scores to settle, the 2010 Asean Championship promises to be an even better one than this year's.

As for the Thai team, we remain the outfit to beat. It could have been very different if what looked like a completely legitimate Thai goal had not been disallowed by the linesman's offside call in the first leg, but that's football. Vietnam deserve full credit for their effective tactics in that first tie, and their never-say-die attitude in Sunday's home game.

In the meantime, how to promote local leagues will remain one of the biggest challenges. Despite the success of the Asean Championship, regional football leagues still lag far behind Japan's or Korea's. And this is where "inward looking" has to be the main approach.

All successful foreign football leagues benefit from one intrinsic national characteristic: their people are crazy about their local football teams. Most English people, for example, do not adore Liverpool or Manchester United; they hate them because of their unconditional support for their own local teams. This enables clubs to stand on their own. They are capable of surviving financially and developing home-grown talent.

So far, in the Thai case, an "outward" policy has been applied towards our national soccer development, with rare talented players often being sent to England or Germany to further their careers.

The local audiences are there. The passion for the game is increasing, and so are the skills, techniques and physical abilities of the players. For the region's soccer to really take off, everyone concerned should join hands and, no pun intended, get the ball rolling.