Well, here we go: 환영합니다, Hwang In-beom 🇰🇷→ https://t.co/cKzgp2v1qk#VWFC pic.twitter.com/GiJcUYcljU— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) January 31, 2019 It's MLS, but the league's steadily improving, he'll be the star midfielder here and I'm excited to be able to track his progress in person.
Players in the MLS dont deserve their own thread. Mods pls close this thread. Lol might as well have a thread for KMJ in China. Or a thread for me. I played as a gk in intramural football at college
I don't get this knee-jerk anti-MLS sentiment here. We've had threads for LJS at Holstein Kiel, Lee Jin-Hyun at FK Austria Wien, YBS at Rostov, SHJ at 20 different teams, and you guys have a problem with a thread on HIB in MLS? Especially when having HIB in MLS is of many BSK posters' immediate "my-backyard" interest? I' don't care to compare and argue about the relative quality of these 2nd-tier leagues because that would be a complete waste of time. If there had been objections to those other threads, I could understand it here. But I don't recall anything.
the players you have mentioned may play for subpar leagues but their ambition to play in Europe and move on to better teams warrant for their own threads. HIB took the easy route and decided to go to the USA (retirement league). These other guys basically deserve their own threads due to their ambition. Principle has a factor here.
Christ, some of y'all are so fcking superficial. MLS = Abroad, whether it's a brand name league or not. Just keep the thread and support our player.
Exactly, that’s why he can join the official Korean abroad thread with Kim Kee-hee and his best friend, Kim Min-jae.
Last time I checked, Japan, China, Australia and the desert are abroad as well. He belongs in the general abroad thread until he decides to use his exemption for a move to Europe. Mods need to close this unwarranted thread.
dont forget my college intermural football league. you also make a good point. He has exemption but decides to bank in
Did HIB have the choice to go to those other clubs like Bremen/Hamburg? I thought he wanted to play at Hamburg? The contract is only til 2020 guys, have some hope in the youngster ffs. I think the thread is fine.
He's not staying in MLS -- the contract is through 2020 with club options through 2022. That probably means they'll look to move him onto Europe in winter 2020, a la Miguel Almiron, who just moved from Atlanta United to Newcastle today after two seasons in MLS.
Hwang In-beom is in for some rude awakening if he actually believes that Vancouver can get him to Europe in 2 years (Same with Kim Min-jae/Roger Schmidt). There have been too many Koreans who believed the "I can get you to Europe" nonsense only to end up nowhere. Before anyone pulls out that "Pity Martinez" card, his situation is completely different from Pity Martinez. The dude has the talent, the actual European interest, better agent, and is playing for the best club in MLS. He can probably play 6 months, terminate his contract, and still find a European club, easily.
Did YP Lee have his own thread when he was at Whitecaps? I don't mind the move. He has 4 years before entering his peak years (26-30) so a couple of years max in the MLS to learn English, play regular first team football and have a chance to build out his body through advanced sports science and training while aclimating to living abroad may be a smart move. He is too light weight physically to succeed straight in Europe. Risk is he ends up being a Song Jin Hyung v.2.0 when he joined the A League, although I do consider MLS as a higher standard.
Look, I get it, but as far as MLS is concerned, the Whitecaps are one of the few clubs that can actually back up this claim. Alphonso Davies came through the Whitecaps academy / residency program, spent one season as an MLS star, and made his debut for Bayern Munich last week.
Davis is an outlier. It's clearly a gamble on his part to go MLS...but it doesn't mean he has any less ambition to play in top-tier Euro leagues than others.
Might as well make a HEJ & KYK @ Gamba Osaka as well then because not only are as important for the NT as HIB, they also play in a better league that has sent more players to Europe. I for one will probably never watch a Whitecaps game and I don't know how many of you will either just because HIB is there.
Can't speak for others but I will check out their matches. Can't say that about most of the other KPA players' teams with their own threads.
If ambition to play in Europe was the qualifying characteristic for opening a new KPA thread, Na Sang Ho should have one as well because he signed a 1.5 yr contract with hopes to transfer to a European club after...
In any case, I'm not deleting the thread. I've been on the forum for years and have seen two-page threads for Koreans in third-tier European leagues who never even came close to the national team level. Unless it's against the rules, you guys can stomach one thread about an MLS-based player.
Is this an actual serious question? Europe is where the best go to train, compete and seek glory. It's like a classical muscian going to Vancouver rather than staying in Seoul to develop further for an ambitious move to NYC. This is a sideways move that can end up being a backwards move. To even suggest this shows any ambition is ridiculous.
For real, pretty disappointing to see users here idolizing HIB in the recent months, then saying he has no ambition after the subpar performance vs Qatar and MLS move (which wasn't his choice to decide anyway). Yes although MLS is a retirement league, HIB is still going to get good playing time and adjust to a English speaking country/more physical players. His contract is until 2020, and Whitecaps is definitely better than K League 2.