Photo Credit: (c) GAK 1902
Jumping into a new league, in a new country may be a tough adjustment for a player, but American defender Donovan Pines looks to have adjusted nicely to his time in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Pines is in the midst of his first season with Grazer AK, one of two clubs from the city of Graz in Austria. After joining GAK last August as a free agent signing, Pines has quickly become a consistent contributor in the squad, most recently logging his 16th appearance in Sunday’s 2-2 league draw with Wolfsberger AC.
Pines reflected on his time in Austria to date as the second half of GAK’s season is back in full swing.
“Austria is a beautiful country, Pines told SBI in an interview. “The people are very nice, it’s a new landscape and there’s just so many things to take in throughout this season. It’s been a lot of emotional ups-and-downs and of course I would want some more wins, but so far it’s been a cool experience.
“My teammates are amazing, the organization is amazing,” he added. I’m tapping into learning German. I’m trying to understand the language and trying to become a leader to help us stay in the league, but also help lead by example and communicate better with the guys. So far it’s been a really cool season, very intense, but hopefully we can do something special and stay in this league and get a couple more wins to end the season.”
Pines came up through DC United’s academy ranks before eventually progressing to the University of Maryland. He helped the Terrapins with the 2018 National Championship and proceeded to conclude his collegiate career with 56 appearances, as well as several Big Ten and NCAA honors.
After totaling 93 appearances and scoring six goals for DC United, Pines eventually made the move to English third-tier side Barnsley in January 2024. Injuries plagued the first four months of Pines’ time in England, but he rebounded during the 2024-25 campaign by netting three goals in 27 appearances.
With MLS, League One, and Bundesliga experience all under his belt, Pines has found one key similarity between all three leagues.
“I feel like just it’s the intensity,” Pines said. “Even in League One, you really have to be on your game every day you have to bring it because there’s so much riding with promotion and relegation. Each game is a battle, each game is a fight, and everyday you have someone fighting for your spot and you have a club trying to send you down the standings. Between all of the leagues, it’s certainly been super competitive.”
Pines wasn’t the only American player at Barnsley during his 16-months at Oakwell, with former Chicago Fire homegrown Gabriel Slonina also joining him for five months. Slonina, who remains under contact with Premier League giants Chelsea, made 14 appearances for the club before an injury cut his loan spell short.
Although the pair didn’t spend ample time together, Pines has fond memories of working with Slonina in England.
”He’s amazing,” Pines said about Slonina. “The way he carries himself at his age is very impressive. I learned a lot from him and he learned a lot from me. He’s got a good personality and is a funny kid, but he’s super driven, super competitive, and it was so awesome to work together. We had a lot of good memories and he played some great games. We learned from each other, we joked around, we roomed with each other, and just really enjoyed our time together. It was also just understanding our likes and dislikes and how we can better ourselves in the formation that we played at Barnsley.
“I was just really happy that he was there,” Pines added. “We were really happy that the organization brought him in and get two Americans because we had a couple American owners at Barnsley. I wish him all the best. I talk to him every once in a while to see how he’s doing at Chelsea and I can’t wait to see what he does in his next step of his journey.”
Another player with MLS and United States ties to Pines is LASK fullback/wingback George Bello. Bello is currently in his third season in Austria and is closing in on 100 appearances for LASK across all competitions.
Similar to Pines, Bello came up through the MLS ranks before testing himself abroad with German outfit Arminia Bielefeld. Bello made 35 appearances for Bielefeld in Germany’s top-two tiers, but ultimately suffered back-to-back relegations before moving to Austria himself.
Coincidentally enough, Pines’ lone goal for GAK came against Bello and LASK back in December despite the club suffering a 2-1 home loss. Pines has enjoyed his relationship with Bello since the duo linked up in the Bundesliga, admitting they root for one another’s continued success abroad.
“It’s been really good,” Pines said about being with Bello in the Bundesliga. “It was just really cool that we were able to kind of be each other again, not only when we were at camp together, but at the scene where we’re playing against each other. “We root for each other and make sure we’re both doing all right. Hopefully we’ll hang out soon, maybe after the season, but it was really good just to see him, catch up and see how he was doing.
“He seems like he’s loving LASK,” Pines added. “He’s got some good assists and got some goals as well. I’m glad that George is at LASK and it’s really cool to be able to talk with him before the game, after the game.”
Prior to his move to England, Pines was able to mark a major milestone off of his list. He made his U.S. men’s national team debut in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, playing the final 11 minutes of a 6-1 group stage victory over Martinique.
Pines later played 75 minutes in a 1-0 win over Canada, replacing the injured Walker Zimmerman and fighting through his own injury himself. He would later watch as the USMNT lifted the Gold Cup trophy, downing Mexico 1-0 after extra time in the tournament final.
Close to five years since those two caps, Pines looked back on an opportunity of a lifetime to represent his country.
“I was so fortunate and super thankful and blessed us to be a part of the U.S. team in general,” Pines said.
“It was always my goal to push and be in that environment and be amongst so many humble and incredibly talented guys. They were very knowledgeable, very intelligent about how they know the game and they had so much humbleness about the game. We have to take these chances as best as we can, so when I was called in, I was ecstatic.
”Not many people knew I was actually injured at the time,” Pines added. “I had like a foot strain and I didn’t know, I thought it was a plantar fasciitis. I was playing through a little bit of pain and we all go through it, but it was a bit more unique. I think Walker Zimmerman got hurt, so I was not going to say no to getting my chance to play in a full game against Canada. It maybe wasn’t my best performance, but I was glad we were able to win, get a clean sheet, and go into the next round. It was a dream come true. In the end we were able to win the whole thing so it was an incredible time and I am very fortunate to win the Gold Cup.”
Pines has continued to follow the USMNT over the past few years, watching the growth of his former teammates and colleagues. The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway in North America in roughly four months’ time, providing the USMNT with a major opportunity to showcase their talent to the world on home soil.
After previously representing the USMNT on home soil, Pines is hoping the program can enjoy the moment of playing on the world’s biggest stage in their own backyard.
“I want the U.S. to do as best as possible,” Pines said. “Pochettino seems like he’s a great coach. He’s got so much experience and understanding and the guys seem like they love him, they trust him. A lot of the guys have just so much favoritism toward him as a coach and as a person and I know that he’ll make the right decisions at the right time. He’s got a lot to choose of players to choose from, but he’ll choose the right group.
“I’m excited to see how they do,” he added. “I just want to see everyone be successful and I want us to go further than the last one [World Cup]. I want to see these guys just thrive and put forward all their hard work that they’ve garnered throughout their season because this one is in our environment. Everyone’s going to be at these games and there’s going to be so much support for them. All you can do is just wear your heart out on that crest, just believe in yourself and pray that you’ll hopefully get to the promised land.”
Seven years since signing his first MLS contract with DC United, Pines is a seasoned veteran in the sport. Now at 27-years-old, he is playing regularly for Grazer AK in the competitive Bundesliga division and riding out the dream he set out for himself as a young player.
While the next chapter of his career remains to be seen, Pines is fully hoping that he can help the next generation of players, similar to how others paved the way for him.
“I think I want to see if I can get to that next level, whether that’s like in Germany or Italy,” Pines said. If I can’t, that’s no problem because I’m thankful for where I’m at, but maybe that next step would be going back to MLS. I always want to see how I do against the best talent and how I can improve myself and my understanding so that I can share those experiences for the next generation.
“I think after my career, I want to work on some projects like finishing my degree, as well as owning a team,” he added. “I’m praying that I can maybe get another team in the future. I’m trying to see if I can grow that and support them as much as I can. but I think also it’s about slowing it down. Maybe doing some individual training, coaching for a little bit, and then maybe make that next step, even to an ambassador role. I think for me it’s about giving back to the community where I’m from, but also providing a chance for these young players to play in Europe to and fulfill their dreams.”