Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman will get to live out a dream as a member of the U.S. men’s soccer team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Participation in Olympic men’s soccer is limited to players under the age of 23, but each country is allowed three overage players. The 31-year-old Zimmerman was announced Monday as one of the Americans’ three exceptions, along with FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson and Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic.
Playing in the Olympics will be a first for Zimmerman, who was an under-23 member of the 2016 U.S. team that came up short in its bid to qualify for the 2016 competition in Brazil.
“It’s definitely something you dream about as a kid,” Zimmerman said last month. “You grow up watching opening ceremonies, watching the U.S. walk around the track, for sure dream about it. … The Olympics is like the [ultimate] sporting event in the world. That’s what makes it really exciting, the prospect of doing that.”
The U.S. team opens play against host nation France on July 24 at 2 p.m. Central, followed by matches against New Zealand on July 27 at noon Central and Guinea on July 30 at noon Central. All group stage matches will air live on USA Network and Telemundo, and stream on Peacock.
Walker Zimmerman
It’s unclear how many Nashville SC games Zimmerman will miss at the Olympics, as the event’s gold-medal game is Aug 9. He could conceivably play in the team’s game at Philadelphia on July 20. Nashville’s next two games — July 31 and Aug. 6 — are Leagues Cup competitions. The Boys in Gold return to MLS play on Aug. 24.
Nashville (6-8-8) is currently in eighth place — a playoff spot — in the 15-team Eastern Conference, with 12 games left in the regular season.
Zimmerman is a decorated U.S. international soccer vet, having made 42 appearances for the red-white-and-blue since 2017. He was an important piece of the U.S. men’s team at the 2022 World Cup, helping lead his nation to the Round of 16 with four appearances and three starts.
A Georgia native, Zimmerman has scored three times for his country, including his most recent score against Honduras in a World Cup qualifier two years ago.
The Nashville captain is looking forward to playing a leadership role at the Olympics.
“I’m always wanting to be there for my teammates, whether they’re younger or older,” Zimmerman said. “I think it will be a good opportunity to lead some of these guys and learn from them as well. Get some energy from their youth, but also, just having had some bigger tournament experience, hopefully offer up pieces of advice for some of those guys as they head into what is arguably the biggest tournament of their career so far.”
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
