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Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman relished Olympics experience, now has eye on 2026 World Cup
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- Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman relished Olympics experience, now has eye on 2026 World Cup
Walker Zimmerman had assumed the memories would take care of themselves.
In 2022, Zimmerman played for the United States men's national soccer team at the FIFA World Cup. He had spent 29 years dreaming of and striving for the "pinnacle of our sport," and thought he'd have no problem remembering every minute he spent there. But when he finally got the chance to look back at his time in Qatar , the picture he saw was blurry, largely devoid of the moments that had made his experience unique.
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The Nashville SC defender didn't want to make the same mistake at this summer's Paris Olympics . Having taken to journaling, he brought the idea up to his U.S. teammates at the suggestion of under-23 team coach Marko Mitrović . In France , journaling allowed him to soak in his surroundings in much greater depth.
"I was so present and enjoying each and every day," Zimmerman told The Tennessean. "Recognizing how special and unique that opportunity was while I was there, so I wouldn't have any regrets about the way I was approaching every single day, whether that was soccer-related or not."
On display in Paris was in a way a new Walker Zimmerman, yet also some of the old Walker Zimmerman — the version of himself with two MLS Defender of the Year awards and 42 USMNT caps.
He helped the U.S. reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics for the first time since 2008. He started all four games and scored in a win over New Zealand . Although Zimmerman was disappointed to leave France without a medal — believing the U.S. was capable of more than its 4-0 quarterfinal loss to Morocco — he returned to Nashville physically unscathed.
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"That's probably been the hardest part with the injuries over the past year, the way that I pride myself on being able to be a guy who pushes his teammates on the field and really can lead by example," he said. " . . . I feel like I'm finally getting back to a point where I can do that again."
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Jul 27, 2024; Marseille, France; Walker Zimmerman of United States celebrates scoring their second goal with John Tolkin of United States against New Zealand in a Group A match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Orange Velodrome. Mandatory Credit: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports
Walker Zimmerman believes he's still in the U.S. national team picture
Through a pain-filled 2023 , an arduous rehab after Achilles surgery and a knee injury in March that required another surgery, the Olympics were Zimmerman's North Star. He had known for months that if healthy, he'd be selected as one of three overage players for the under-23 Olympic squad. He centered his rehab on being fit enough to handle the Olympic schedule, which gave just two days of rest between games. In France, he never left the field.
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Despite not having featured for the senior USMNT in 14 months, Zimmerman never thought he was out of the picture. Injuries, not performance, explain his lack of call-ups. Now, with a run of health and a new coach — the U.S. is reportedly near a deal with Mauricio Pochettino — he believes he has a "fresh slate," two years ahead of the 2026 World Cup, when he'll be 33.
"I think the Olympics is a good starting point of, (the new coach) is probably going to take a look at those games, see who are the younger players coming through, and hopefully see what I can contribute to the team as well," Zimmerman said. "But all stuff with the national team comes back to your club performances. Can you be consistent? Can you play at a high level for your club? Because that's the only way you should be getting called in."
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While he wants to again become the embodiment of effort and energy that allowed him to solidify a USMNT role, he recently has sought something quite different off the field. A self-described extrovert who can't stand solitude or silence, he's working on slowing down, believing a "better version" of himself will involve more "reflection and introspection that I've always kind of shied away from."
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"I feel like when you become a parent, all of your free time, you're dealing with the kids," said Zimmerman, who has a 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. "You're dealing with your soccer, your career, taking care of your body, with appointments. You're on the go a lot. Finding that time in the morning (to journal), it's been nice to just have more for myself."
He gets reminders from his Bible study group to take that time and write down the day's moments: things he's grateful for, things he could have done better at in training, conversations with teammates.
He had no shortage of things to write about from the Olympics: having almost his entire family in Marseille and seeing his sister-in-law's reaction to his goal, unpacking his Team USA gear, hosting a "Survivor" team night, going golfing with teammates on off days, seeing Katie Ledecky win gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle, watching beach volleyball in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
Zimmerman looks forward to reliving these memories with friends and family years, even decades, from now — and his immediate future appears equally promising.
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"I'm not quite there yet," he said. "But it's the first time in a long time that I think maybe I'll start being able to do things that people haven't seen in a while."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman success at Olympics, eyes World Cup
