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Junior center back Donovan Pines, a member of Maryland’s 2018 national championship soccer team, signed a Homegrown Player contract with D.C. United, the club announced Tuesday. He will forgo his final season as a Terp and join the MLS club immediately.
The Homegrown Player rule allows Major League Soccer teams to directly sign eligible players, without going through the SuperDraft, if the player has spent at least one year in the club’s academy and meets the training and retention requirements.
Pines, a Clarksville, Md., native and son of A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean Darryll J. Pines, appeared in 56 matches in his three seasons at Maryland. He was a key member of the defense while also tallying three goals and three assists in his career. He received All-Big Ten recognition all three seasons, and in 2018, he also earned United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American honors and was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s National Best XI First Team and the College Cup All-Tournament team.
Pines is D.C. United’s 11th Homegrown signing in history, joining Maryland’s other Homegrown players:
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