Sang Bin Jeong is two years younger than fellow South Korean player Hoyeon Jung, but Sang Bin will serve as a mentor to Hoyeon as a countryman and veteran teammate on Minnesota United.

Sang Bin’s experiences away from home in both Europe and in MLS will be beneficial as Hoyeon leaves home for the first time this winter. The counsel started before he arrived at the National Sports Center in Blaine, when Hoyeon was considering his next career move.

“I think of Minnesota as my second home,” Sang Bin said via translator Kathy Choih during a joint interview on Thursday. “If it weren’t for the cold winters, I probably wouldn’t be going to Korea during the offseason. I’ve been sharing a lot about Minnesota, and Hoyeon is surprised on how great I think Minnesota is. That’s how comfortable Minnesota is to me now.”

Sang Bin, now 22, joined Minnesota almost two years ago after stops in England and Switzerland didn’t work out. Like Sang Bin, Hoyeon, 24, wanted an chance outside of K League 1.

“I had been dreaming about going overseas, and when Minnesota was interested and gave me this great opportunity, it was an easy decision,” Hoyeon said in Korean.

Hoyeon, a central midfielder, signed a three-year contract through 2027 with a club option for 2028; Sang Bin, a winger and wing-back, is in the final season of a three-year deal with an option for 2026.

‘Difficult’ year

Sang Bin was a key player for MNUFC last season, scoring six goals and playing more than 2,100 minutes. Only eight Loons players eclipsed 2,000 minutes last season. He had notched only one goal in 962 minutes across his first season in Minnesota in 2023.

But a year ago, Sang Bin also had to cope with the death of his father in July. He went back to Korea and missed the Leagues Cup. Sang Bin didn’t share specifics this week about his loss, but confirmed his father coached him in soccer as a child.

“A difficult situation with complicated emotions,” Sang Bin said. “… My father is the number one person I respect and look up to as a soccer player.”

On the field, Sang Bin also was tasked with switching positions as an attacker — primarily a winger — to a defender, specifically as a right wing-back in head coach Eric Ramsay’s five-defender formation.

“As a team player, of course, I will follow the coach’s and the team’s decision,” Sang Bin said. ‘But I personally want to play more as a striker than a wingback. My biggest goal as a soccer player is scoring goals, whether it be assisting or actually making goals. That is the reason I started soccer and what keeps me playing. Being a striker is my ultimate goal.”

‘Mindset to win’

Hoyeon wore a shiny black down jacket in a conference room for the interview on Thursday, but his tone was much more subdued, almost shy. To be a vital presence in the crowded middle of the field, his play in the physical MLS will need to be much louder once the season starts February 22 at Los Angeles FC.

Asked to describe himself on the pitch, Hoyeon took a big-picture view.

“Whenever I enter the stadium, I go in with the mindset to win and try to give it (my) all,” he said. “I believe this is my strength and hope this quality appeals to Minnesota fans.”

When Sang Bin joined Minnesota, the club had a formal news conference for him and club leaders at Allianz Field. He wasn’t reserved in saying his goal was to get 10 goals and 10 assists in his first season.

Hoyeon, who started playing as a second grader with his brothers, wasn’t as definitive in his initial aims. “I would like to be in as many games as possible,” he said.

Ramsay said Hoyeon has a “good background” — 113 appearances with Gwangju FC and was the K League’s young player of the year in 2023 — and a “high ceiling.” He mentioned Hoyeon’s athleticism and technical ability to help improve the Loons’ possession percentage in 2025.

“He is someone who represents a lot of traits we want in a player, certainly where they are in their career,” Ramsay added. “I think the fact that he has made this step — and really pushed for this step, from what I can tell behind the scenes — is testament to the fact that he wants to really move on, progress and demonstrate on a more global level that he can really contribute for his country.”

‘Same team’

When Sang Bin joined MLS in March 2023, he was the only active South Korean national in MLS. Only five players preceded him. Now there are two South Koreans on the same club.

“When I was in Switzerland (with Grasshopper), there were two Japanese on the same team,” Sang Bin said. “I was envious because they were able to rely on each other. With another Korean player on the team, I must say that it’s nice to have another I can rely on and being able to use the same language is comforting. However, there have been instances when it felt awkward to use Korean while training or eating in the cafeteria.”

Hoyeon will know nothing different in his first experience abroad.

“I hope to see more Koreans who are talented come to the U.S. such as Japanese players, and be active in the MLS together, whether or not they are on the same team,” he said.

Hoyeon said he will try to assimilate to American culture before perhaps bringing slices of Korean culture to the club.

Sang Bin has been learning English over the past two years; translator Choih is his teacher. He has used the new language with teammates, most recently in a social media post from preseason camp in California, but said it has been “hard” for him to grasp.

“I’m better than last year,” Sang Bin said, using English. “But still it’s so difficult.” Then he finished the topic in Korean.

“I am much better at understanding my teammates and in meetings,” he said. “But my ultimate goal is to do a postgame interview” in English.