Whitecaps sign emerging Asian star
Fast, aggressive midfielder expected to become key cog in team’s offence
Marc Dos Santos has long been watching South Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom. Now Vancouver Whitecaps fans will get an opportunity to do the same as the Major League Soccer team announced the emerging Asian star will be joining them, a signing that was long a point of speculation.
“Even before (me) arriving here, he was brought to our attention,” the new Caps coach said Wednesday. “Because we had a profile of another No. 8 that we wanted to bring in to the roster, a midfielder who was able to play in the three positions in the midfield, he was brought up, we started to look into him, and then every day, every game we were watching him.
“And we became more and more convinced that this is a player we had to do everything in our means to bring him to Vancouver.”
The 22-year-old completed his medical late Tuesday night in South Korea, the final step in the process that will see him signed from K2 Daejeon Citizen FC as a Young Designated Player, costing the Caps a reported $1.8 million transfer fee.
The 5-foot-9, 155-pounder will occupy an international roster spot and is signed through 2020 with team options for 2021-22.
The Whitecaps spent months in a prolonged courtship of Hwang, and they had to — there were several European clubs seriously bidding for his services.
Greg Anderson, the Whitecaps vice-president of soccer operations, flew to Daejeon at the start of January to make a presentation to Hwang’s family and meet with the team. A week later, he took another daylong plane trip to Dubai, where he met with Hwang and his representatives in a Dubai hotel room and watched Korea play Kyrgyzstan. Soon after the tournament, Hwang’s mother and brother visited Vancouver.
The Caps also called on alumnus Y.P. Lee, a Korean soccer legend, to further persuade Hwang that Vancouver was the place for him.
Hwang has aspirations of moving to Europe, where a few of his countrymen have found success, including Red Bull Salzburg’s Hwang Heechan — they’ve been friends since they were young — and it was important the Caps could show they had the ability to help him make it there.
“Greg did a great job in South Korea, where he spent a lot of time … to sell him (on) what we’re about, what we want to do,” said Dos Santos.
“For these young players, seeing they could go to MLS, and look what happened with Alphonso (Davies), in Atlanta with (Miguel) Almiron. It’s changing. The league is changing. Players are seeing it as a huge opportunity.”
Hwang has spent his entire life in Daejeon and played all his soccer — apart from a short loan last year — in the community-owned club’s system. The youngest scorer in club history, he progressed through the national team ranks as well, culminating in South Korea’s appearance at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in UAE, where he was listed as one of the 10 best young stars to watch at the competition.
When South Korea was eliminated in a shocking 1-0 upset to Qatar in the quarter-finals, Hwang ranked among the tournament’s top 10 leaders in both chances created (nine) and total passes (322). His nine chances created were also just one back of Tottenham Hotspur winger/forward Son Heung-min for the team lead.
Last season, playing for Daejeon and on loan for police team Asan Asan, he scored three goals on 16 shots on target, while completing 995 passes (ninth in K2), 503 of them forward passes, and had 25 key passes. He’s been named to the K2 best 11 for three consecutive years.
A fast, aggressive midfielder who is comfortable on the ball, Hwang will eventually be a key cog in the Caps’ offence — once he’s had time to adjust to MLS.
Hwang, who has never lived outside of South Korea, will have to get used to the physical and athletic style of MLS, and the Caps’ brutal travel schedule. His previous longest trip would have been a five-hour bus ride.
“It’s a big move by the Whitecaps,” said Dos Santos. “We can’t think that he’s a saviour. He’s going to need some time to adapt to a new culture, a new club.
“It’s important not to think that he’s coming here and he’s going to score against everybody. … He’s a player that gives a lot of rhythm in the midfield. He can play in a No. 6 role, a No. 8, or even in a No. 10 if we played with one. He can give rhythm to the team, he has a very good last pass.
“Everything has to be linked, about getting to the
goal and finishing. He’s going to be a player that’s going to help us in the process of getting into the last third.”
While the Caps were busy selling themselves to Hwang, South Korea coach Paulo Bento had already sold them on his burgeoning talent. Bento had a long chat with Dos Santos — whom some might remember is also a Portuguese national.
Hwang has 12 caps for his national team and wanted to make sure his move to MLS wouldn’t undercut his role for his country.
“I spoke with him for a long time also, about his characteristics. We had a long talk about that,” Dos Santos said of his conversation with Bento.
“One of the things that Hwong was concerned with in the beginning was that, if he came here, was he still going to be called to the national team? And Paulo reassured him that he would continue to be a very good option for the national team.
“Also, the coach of South Korea believes in the direction that MLS is going.”