Donovan Pines looks set to depart English third-tier side Barnsley in the coming weeks.
Pines, whose contract is due to expire this June, praised the club and fanbase on social media, per the Barnsley Chronicle. Barnsley currently holds an option to extend Pines’ contract for another season, but odds don’t look to be in his favor.
“Thank you, Barnsley, for everything,” Pines said. “These past two seasons have meant more to me than words can fully express. I’ve had the honor of playing for a truly special and historic club, and I’m incredibly grateful for every moment. To my team-mates, the staff, and everyone behind the scenes — thank you for believing in me and pushing me to grow, not just as a player but as a person.
“To the fans — thank you for welcoming me with open arms and making Barnsley feel like home,” he added. “Your love and support never went unnoticed, and I’ll carry that with me always. It’s been a dream come true to play in England and to learn the game in a place where football means so much. I leave with unforgettable memories, lifelong friendships, and a full heart. Wishing the club nothing but success and happiness in the future.”
Pines, 27, scored three goals in 27 appearances for Barnsley this season across all competitions. However, he hadn’t featured for the club since March 22, dealing with an apparent injury.
The American defender also appeared four times during the 2023-24 season, scoring twice. Pines also made 93 appearances for DC United prior to his move to England.
Barnsley missed out on the League One promotion playoffs, finishing 12th in the league standings.
When he was with DC he was an off the bench player who had some great games, and some horrible ones. I didn’t catch any of his games at Barnsley, but if he doesn’t find a new home in Europe, I still think it’d be worthwhile for some MLS teams to see how much he grew the last two seasons.
I seem to also recall that he had a science background in addition to soccer, so if this ends up being the end of his professional playing, feels like he has other adventures to enjoy. But still, feels like he should at least check in with some MLS teams, and see if there’s a role where he fits.
people adore england but League One is lateral or maybe a step down from MLS, depending on the team. the reason americans don’t go over there and dominate their lower divisions is unless you have an EU/UK passport or meet the work permit rules you don’t get in england, and the work permit rules tend to result in expensive players. the exceptions tend to be kids with grandparent-passports willing to work their way up from playing for peanuts — or very loyal to an initial youth team — like gooch, demerit, kelman. otherwise americans with the required NT experience to get permitted tend to price themselves into the EPL or championship.
i agree with your analysis that plenty of MLS teams will take a nibble. but i think league one is lateral or below us so if you can’t dominate that you’re not a piece of some playoff or title puzzle here.
i am amused by the discussion below where someone implies i am misunderstanding the player. barnsley plainly reads it as i do. his last few games they stunk. they switch him out they win a few. and he gets benched then released. QED. that the USMNT analytics department (and its fans) might disagree is actually in the team’s favor IMO. to quote janet jackson, “what have you done for me lately.”
Does anyone in MLS hold his rights? Seems like his time abroad might make him an attractive (lower cost) acquisition for a mid season boost.
i thought dude was overrated here. DC hasn’t been a playoff team in years and had a defense when he was here ranging from poor to horrific (71 GA in ’21).
i think barnsley thought they were getting an up and coming USMNT back for a promotion push, which you don’t normally get in the english third. instead they ship a ton of goals (73) and finish midtable. first 3 games he’s dropped they win.
“couldn’t hack english third” should end the USMNT discussion but given the perverse way we roll the irony is this might get him called back up.
Dude hasn’t played for the NT in years. There has been no conversation of adding him to the NT by anyone recently. He made the ‘21 Gold Cup because we brought a B/C team and he hardly played.
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“ instead they ship a ton of goals (73) and finish midtable. first 3 games he’s dropped they win.”
Barnsley was 10-6-8 when Pines played 36 pts (1.5 pts per match) +3 GD, when he didn’t play 7-4-11 (1.14 pts per match) -7 GD. So cherry picking 3 matches in a 46 match season doesn’t accurately depict his season.
“cherry pick?” you’re too stuck in analytics land and have no clue how coaches really work. his last chunk of 4 games in a row starting it’s 0W 1T 3L. he gets dropped they run off 3 Ws in a row. he barely sees the light of day after that. you’re essentially saying “but back in august” when the issues are in the new year, ie, they have barely won a game since new year’s when he played.
and you don’t really grasp that when they signed a NT-experience back they probably thought it was a promotion move. the fact you have to split hairs says it didn’t work as intended. “i am not paying for this expensive american to ship goals and finish mid-table.”
you and i may semi-agree on his talent level where you are dismissive of his NT chances. but my experience watching how they operate, players who make “positive” career moves get invited back in. this is done a lot more on hype and analytics than talent scouting, which is part of the problem. and if he comes back to MLS i can write the “hype man” narrative for you.
if you find a table or graph of table position, they went into free fall in his final few games after peaking near a playoff spot. coaches, however, are not nostalgia pieces saying, well, but we were up higher earlier back in august. they’re like, we were never solidly automatic or playoff, and the last few games he was here, it imploded. i dropped him, it fixed itself. hmmm
you then ignore that for a guy we both know was brought in to get them promoted, 1.5 ppg is short of the goal. your most rosy glasses reading lands them 8th place.
Not sure what you’re looking at they were in 10th Feb 15, when he lost his starting spot and 12th at the end. Yes they won 3 in a row but then immediately lost 3 in a row. They earned just 2 pts in their next 7 matches after the modest win streak (which coincided with a new manager and formation change preferring a 2 CB formation). When Pines went out after week 32 they were tenth. Over the final 14 matchdays they were 21st (including those three wins in a row). I have no idea what Barnsley’s problems were, my guess is many, but if the manager thought he’d fixed it then the manager was a bigger problem than Pines. They were awful the last 2 months of the season.
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Barnsley signed Pines in Jan 2024, if they thought Pines was a NT player despite not having been called in 2 1/2 years and not being even a top 20 CB in MLS then they didn’t scout much. Let’s not forget Pines only played as many minutes as he did, 86 minutes during entire GC, because Zimmerman got hurt 15 minutes into the match and he was literally the only CB on the bench when Gregg was trying to play a 3 CB formation against Canada with Sands playing CB then moving into midfield while in possession.
yes, he last played for us in mid-21. that is not insanely far in the past in 23 when they are shopping him. whether wise or not, some teams might rate him above average for that credential. all due respect but i am sure when your crew (or most MLS) sign some guy who was NT but not lately, they are trying to convince themselves they might recover “international standards.” whether they were ever that or not. or they wouldn’t be plonking down the money.
you had a chuckle about dynamo signed holmes, who is hurt and hasn’t been NT in half a decade. but they sure chat up the NT part. you then want to pretend it means nothing. it’s equivalent to signing some guy who was 10G 5A a couple years ago but isn’t productive now. nostalgia signing. “i hope to get the old player back.” even if we both agree it was an illusion.
that being said, dude, if we rewound back to 21 i remember getting crap on here for downgrading the guy. same thing neal and others. i’ve not changed my opinion. i just can see it where some MLS signs him because he used to be NT and DC, and then the NT kicks the tires because he was once B/C and “has returned from england to kick start his career.” lost in there is i never thought he was a solid starter in MLS much less worth NT time. but that’s my point. there is like some hype wave that just takes over with this team.
IV: his salary was on the higher end for League One but not big bucks and he came on a free. Someone in MLS will sign him or he’ll go the Olesunde route and bounce around lower Euro leagues like Scotland, Wales, or Scandinavia and hardly play. He’s not breaking into the NT outside a camp cupcake in January. He can clear crosses and might score on a corner but he’s bad with his feet and not especially quick so he’d have been a star in 1990, but not today. I believe his mother is English so that gets him into the EFL leagues.