TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
D.C. United announced their 11th Homegrown Player signing in club history – and second of the week – on Wednesday, as standout University of Maryland defender Donovan Pines joined the Black-and-Red.
The 21-year-old center back from Clarksville, Maryland leaves school a season early after helping the Terrapins win the 2018 College Cup, the fourth national championship in program history, while also earning College Cup all-tournament team, Top Drawer Soccer first-team Best XI and first-team All-Big Ten honors.
D.C. signed his fellow academy product Antonio Bustamante on Monday, the duo joining Chris Durkin, Bill Hamid and Jalen Robinson as Homegrowns on United’s current roster.
"We have monitored Donovan's progression at Maryland and feel he is ready to take the next step in his career,” said D.C. GM and VP of soccer ops Dave Kasper in a club release. "He fits the profile of a modern MLS center back in a physically demanding league and has the technical qualities that suit our system. We are excited to add our second Homegrown signing of the offseason and look forward to integrating Donovan with the rest of the squad in preseason."
Pines spent four years with the D.C. United academy, making 99 appearances in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play and often captaining his team; the 6-foot-5 defender also earned a call-up to the US Under-19 men’s national team during his youth career.
Over three seasons at Maryland he scored three goals and three assists in 56 appearances (39 starts), including 21 clean sheets in matches he started. He’s the fifth Terp from last year’s squad to join MLS this winter, following 2019 SuperDraft selections Dayne St. Clair, Chase Gasper, Andrew Samuels and Amar Sejdic.
