Donovan C. Pines (born March 7, 1998) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a

center-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. Pines previously played college soccer for the University of Maryland, and for D.C. United's Academy. His father is current

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

president,

Darryll Pines Darryll John Pines is an American aerospace engineer and academic administrator currently serving as president of University of Maryland, College Park. He was previously dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and held the Glenn L. Marti ...

Youth and college soccer

Pines played soccer for

River Hill High School River Hill High School is a public high school in Clarksville, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Howard County public schools system. River Hill High School was awarded a "gold medal" by U.S. News & World Report. It was recognized by Bu ...

before attending

University of Maryland College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

. Pines played three years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

for the Terrapins and was a starter all three years at Maryland where he made 56 appearances, and scored 3 goals. At the end of the

2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer season The 2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 58th season of NCAA championship men's college soccer. The regular season began on August 26 and continued into the first weekend of November 2016. The season culminated with the 2016 NCAA Divi ...

, he was honored with Big Ten All-Freshman Team recognition. He was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team his sophomore year, before having a breakout season his junior year. Concluding the

2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season The 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 60th season of NCAA championship men's college soccer. The regular season began on August 24, 2018 and continued into the first weekend of November 2018. The season culminated with the four-tea ...

, he was part of the national championship-winning Maryland team. Individually, Pines was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, the

Top Drawer Soccer A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few se ...

Best XI, as well as the College Cup All-Tournament Team.

Professional career

Concluding the 2018 NCAA soccer season, Pines was linked to several European clubs, but ultimately signed a homegrown contract with D.C. United on January 18, 2019. Ahead of the

2019 USL Championship season The 2019 USL Championship season is the ninth season of the USL Championship and third under Division II sanctioning. This is the first season in which the league is operating under the name "USL Championship," having used the name "United Socce ...

, Pines went on a season-long loan to D.C. United's reserve side,

Loudoun United FC Loudoun United FC is an American professional soccer team based in Leesburg, Virginia. The team was founded in 2018 as the reserve team of D.C. United and made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. History On July 18, 2018, the team was offi ...

. Pines made his professional soccer debut on March 9, 2019 for Loudoun United in a 0–2 loss to

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

. Pines played the entire match. Pines made his

debut with

on April 13, 2019 against the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

Dick's Sporting Goods Park Dick's Sporting Goods Park, also known as DSG Park, is a soccer-specific stadium located in Commerce City, Colorado that is home to the Colorado Rapids men's professional soccer team. The stadium seats up to 18,061 people for soccer matches, bu ...

. He played the full 90 minutes and recorded an assist to

Luciano Acosta Luciano Federico "Lucho" Acosta (born 31 May 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati. Club career Boca Juniors Acosta made his professional debut for Boca Juni ...

in a 3–2 win over the Rapids. On April 28, 2019, in a game against

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American So ...

, Pines scored what would've been his first goal for D.C. United but it was disallowed by VAR due to a foul during the play. In early May, Pines sprained a ligament in his knee after a 3–1 win against the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

. He returned from his injury on June 26, 2019. Pines scored his first

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

goal in a 2–2 draw against the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

on October 14, 2020. He scored his second goal for United just four days later in a 2–1 win over

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

International career

Pines made his senior debut for the United States on July 15, 2021, when he was subbed on in the 79th minute of a 6-1 win over

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

in the group stage of the

2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 16th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was originally scheduled t ...

Career statistics

International

Honors

United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Individual *2018 College Cup All-Tournament Team *2018

United Soccer Coaches The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

Second Team All-American *2018

Best XI First Team *2018 United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region *2018 All-Big Ten First Team *2017 All-Big Ten Second Team *

National Team of the Week (9/25/17) *2016 Big Ten All-Freshman Team

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pines, Donovan 1998 births Living people American soccer players Association football defenders D.C. United players Loudoun United FC players Maryland Terrapins men's soccer players USL Championship players People from Howard County, Maryland Soccer players from Maryland 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Sportspeople from the Baltimore metropolitan area United States men's under-23 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players Major League Soccer players Homegrown Players (MLS) CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players