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It’s been made clear, by both coach and player, that Inbeom Hwang is not Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Wayne Rooney, nor should he be expected to be.

But for a spell, Inbeom wasn’t even Inbeom.

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The first 16 games of this Major League Soccer season proved to be a grind for the Whitecaps’ young designated player, who never experienced travel demands like these in his first four pro seasons playing for Daejeon Citizen, nor had he ever before lived for an extended spell outside his home country. It was no surprise that as his playing minutes piled up, the midfielder’s effectiveness began to ebb.

“I’m not satisfied yet. But that’s normal as a professional player,” said the 22-year-old Hwang, who also played six international matches at the beginning of 2019.

“I think I invested more time in adapting into the new league, and new environment. So hopefully, the second half of the season can be better.

“I hadn’t really gotten any break since last year. I was tired. The first half of the season, with all the ridiculous travel, it was very tough. But now that I’ve had some time off, I think I’m pretty recovered.