D.C. United star defender Donovan Pines immediately knew the answer to the question United States men’s soccer coach Gregg Berhalter posed to him Sunday.
The 23-year-old Clarksville native had already made his dream-come-true debut with the U.S. men’s national team three days earlier as a late substitute during stage play of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup in a comfortable win against Martinique. Sunday’s assignment would provide a far greater challenge.
Looking to finish 3-0 in Group B, the U.S. had an early 1-0 lead over Canada when Pines was called on after starting center defender Walker Zimmerman suffered a hamstring injury 15 minutes into play.