Walker Zimmerman

Walker Dwain Zimmerman (born May 19, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC and the United States national team.

Walker Zimmerman

Zimmerman with the United States at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Walker Dwain Zimmerman[1]
Date of birth	(1993-05-19) May 19, 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)[2]
Position(s)	Center-back
Team information
Current team	Nashville SC
Number	25
Youth career
	GSA Phoenix
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2012	Furman Paladins	39	(11)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2017	FC Dallas	89	(7)
2018–2019	Los Angeles FC	51	(5)
2020–	Nashville SC	126	(13)
International career‡
2010–2011	United States U18	3	(0)
2011–2013	United States U20	10	(2)
2015–2024	United States U23 (O.P.)	8	(1)
2017–	United States	44	(3)
Managerial career
2019	UCLA Bruins (assistant)
Medal record Men's soccer Representing  United States CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner 2021 United States Runner-up 2019 Costa Rica–Jamaica–United States Men's soccer CONCACAF Nations League Winner 2023 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 19, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of January 22, 2025

A native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Zimmerman played two seasons in college with the Furman Paladins before signing a Generation Adidas deal with Major League Soccer. He was then selected in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas as the 7th overall pick. Initially struggling for playtime due to injuries, Zimmerman established himself as a regular starter in 2016. He started in 38 matches as FC Dallas completed the double, winning the Supporters' Shield and the U.S. Open Cup. In December 2017, Zimmerman was traded to expansion side Los Angeles FC, helping the club win the Supporters' Shield in 2019. Zimmerman was also selected for the MLS All-Star team and MLS Best XI. Zimmerman was then traded to another expansion side, Nashville SC, in February 2020. With Nashville, he won back-to-back Defender of the Year awards in 2020 and 2021.

Zimmerman made his debut for the United States in January 2017 against Jamaica. In 2019, he was selected into the squad that finished runners-up in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was also a member of the squad that won the tournament in 2021, starting all three group stage matches before having to leave the tournament due to a hamstring injury.

Club career

Youth and college

Zimmerman came through the youth academy at Gwinnett Soccer Association in Lilburn, Georgia, where he was mentored by former Atlanta Silverbacks and Charleston Battery manager Nuno Piteira. Zimmerman also went to Brookwood High School and played soccer there. He was coached by Daniel Klinect.

Zimmerman played college soccer at Furman University between 2011 and 2012. He was named First Team All-Conference 2011, Southern Conference Freshman of the Year 2011, and National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division I Men's All-America Second Team in 2012.^[3]

Professional

Zimmerman playing for FC Dallas in 2013

FC Dallas selected Zimmerman in the first round (No. 7 overall) of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft.^[4] He made his professional debut on May 11, 2013, as a late substitute in a 2–1 victory against D.C. United.

On December 10, 2017, Zimmerman was traded by FC Dallas to new expansion side Los Angeles FC in exchange for $250,000 in General Allocation Money and $250,000 in Targeted Allocation Money. The two clubs also swapped allocation rankings with FC Dallas moving to #1 and Los Angeles FC moving to #11.^[5] During the 2019 season, Zimmerman was also an assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins men's soccer program.

On February 11, 2020, Zimmerman was traded to Major League Soccer expansion club Nashville SC in exchange for up to $1.25 million in General Allocation Money and a 2020 international roster spot.^[6]

On February 29, 2020, Zimmerman scored the first goal in Nashville SC history.

On April 29, 2022, Nashville announced they had signed Zimmerman to a contract extension through 2025, and that it would also make him a Designated Player on their roster.^[7] The new contract made Zimmerman only the fourth American defender to be signed to a DP deal in league history.^[8]

International career

Zimmerman playing for United States at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup

On January 6, 2017, Zimmerman was called up for the first time to the United States national team by coach Bruce Arena.^[9] Zimmerman earned his first cap and start against Jamaica in a January Camp friendly on February 3, 2017. He was named player of the match.^[10] He scored his first goal (a header) on May 28, 2018, against Bolivia. Zimmerman was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making appearances in all four matches. During the opening match against Wales, Zimmerman tackled Gareth Bale, the Welsh attacker, for penalty in the 82nd minute. Bale scored the penalty and tied the game. The game ended 1–1. According to ESPN, it was "a clumsy and unnecessary challenge".^[11]

Personal life

Zimmerman was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on May 19, 1993, to Becky and David Zimmerman. He has two older siblings.

Zimmerman is a Christian.^[12] Walker is married to Sally Zimmerman. They have one child together.^[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played October 19, 2024^[14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Dallas	2013	MLS	7	2	—		2	0	—		—		9	2
	2014		10	0	2	0	1	0	—		—		13	0
	2015		20	0	2	1	2	0	—		—		24	1
	2016		30	4	2	0	4	0	1	0	—		37	4
	2017		22	1	—		1	0	4	0	—		27	1
	Total		89	7	6	1	10	0	5	0	—		110	8
Los Angeles FC	2018	MLS	26	4	1	0	4	0	—		—		31	4
	2019		25	1	2	0	1	0	—		—		28	1
	Total		51	5	3	0	5	0	—		—		59	5
Nashville SC	2020	MLS	22	3	3	0	—		—		—		25	3
	2021		25	3	2	0	—		—		—		27	3
	2022		30	4	1	0	3	0	—		—		34	4
	2023		24	2	2	0	—		—		7	2	33	4
	2024		25	1	—		—		2	0	0	0	27	1
	Total		126	13	8	0	3	0	2	0	7	2	146	15
Career total			266	25	17	1	18	0	7	0	7	2	315	28

International

As of match played January 22, 2025^[15]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
United States	2017	1	0
	2018	3	1
	2019	7	1
	2020	2	0
	2021	10	0
	2022	14	1
	2023	5	0
	2024	0	0
	2025	2	0
Total		44	3

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zimmerman goal.

List of international goals scored by Walker Zimmerman^[15]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	May 28, 2018	Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, United States	Bolivia	1–0	3–0	Friendly
2	January 27, 2019	State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States	Panama	2–0	3–0	Friendly
3	February 2, 2022	Allianz Field, Saint Paul, United States	Honduras	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honors

FC Dallas

• U.S. Open Cup: 2016
• Supporters' Shield: 2016

Los Angeles FC

• Supporters' Shield: 2019

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2021^[16]
• CONCACAF Nations League: 2022–23^[17]

Individual

• MLS All-Star: 2019,^[18] 2021,^[19] 2022,^[20] 2023^[21]
• MLS Best XI: 2019,^[22] 2020,^[23][24] 2021, 2022,^[25] 2023^[26]
• MLS Defender of the Year: 2020,^[27] 2021

References

1. "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: United States" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 16. Retrieved May 21, 2019 – via Bernews.
2. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: List of players: United States" (PDF). FIFA. November 15, 2022. p. 31. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
3. "{title}". Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
4. "SuperDraft '13 – FC Dallas snag Walker Zimmerman with the 7th pick". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
5. "LAFC ACQUIRES WALKER ZIMMERMAN FROM FC DALLAS". Los Angeles FC. December 10, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
6. "LAFC Acquires Up To $1.25 Million In Allocation Money From Nashville SC In Exchange For Walker Zimmerman". Los Angeles FC. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
7. "Nashville Soccer Club Extends Contracts of MLS Best XI Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman". Nashville SC. April 29, 2022.
8. Tenorio, Paul (April 29, 2022). "How Nashville SC made Walker Zimmerman a designated player: 'He was our Tom Brady'". The Athletic.
9. "Arena Calls 32 Players for MNT January Camp". U.S. Soccer. January 5, 2017. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
10. "FC Dallas Defender Walker Zimmerman Makes USMNT Debut, Named Player of the Match". February 3, 2017. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
11. "On brink of win, USMNT can't close out Wales". ESPN.com. November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
12. Doering, Joshua (June 17, 2021). "Walker Zimmerman leans on faith as he leads Nashville SC, USMNT". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
13. Doering, Joshua (November 23, 2021). "Walker Zimmerman leads Nashville SC into MLS playoffs, grateful for 'how sacrificial God's love is'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
14. Walker Zimmerman at Soccerway. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
15. "Zimmerman, Walker". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
16. "United States beats Mexico in Gold Cup final on late Miles Robinson header". ESPN. August 1, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
17. "U.S. beats Canada to win Nations League as Balogun opens account". ESPN. June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
18. "2019 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
19. "2021 MLS All-Star Team Roster". MLSsoccer.
20. "2022 MLS All-Star Team Roster". MLSsoccer.
21. "2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
22. "2019 MLS Best XI". Major League Soccer. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
23. "MLS Fact and Record Book". Major League Soccer. p. 163. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
24. "2020 MLS Best XI presented by The Home Depot". Major League Soccer. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
25. "2022 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
26. "2023 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
27. "Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman named 2020 MLS Defender of the Year". Major League Soccer. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

External links

• Walker Zimmerman at Major League Soccer
• Walker Zimmerman at Furman Paladins
• Walker Zimmerman at U.S. Soccer
• Walker Zimmerman at Team USA
• Walker Zimmerman at Olympics.com
• Walker Zimmerman at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived) (alternate link)
• Official website