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“It’s my first time playing overseas, so it’s going to be a lie (to say) I was not nervous,” Hwang said through a translator. “But as soon as I got here, all the team members, the whole club, were super nice to me, which made it super easy to adjust to the club and transition. And I was surprised by how nice the city is, and how the soccer culture is in Vancouver. I’m really looking forward to the coming season.

“Training-wise, nowadays everyone’s looking to have modern soccer ways. In Korea, the training facility is almost as good as here, but I was surprised by the scale of this club and how the staff is managing all the little work. All those good things I’ve seen makes me expect more and more.”

This will be Hwang’s first city outside of his home club in Dajeon, and first taste of professional soccer outside the Korean second division. It is expected to take some time for him to adjust. The easy manner he has shown with his teammates, and the quick quips he gets back, shows he is further along in his progression than would have been anticipated.

He’s still working on his English, and needs no translation for any but the most complex of coaching strategies during training session. Adjusting to a new country and culture is the bigger task than soccer in a new league.

“Obviously, neither will be easy. But it’s been a lot easier than I expected,” he said. “The coaching staff has been very nice to me … I think the language, and the culture will be challenging. So I’m studying English harder than soccer … but I’m sure in two to three months, I will be totally fine.”