Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman selected to US national soccer team for Paris Olympics

Walker Zimmerman will be an Olympian.

The Nashville SC defender was selected to the United States Olympic soccer team as one of three overage players on coach Marko Mitrović's 18-player squad for the Paris Olympics.

The men's Olympic tournament is an under-23 event, but teams can bring three older players. Along with the 31-year-old Zimmerman, Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic and FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson will also go to Paris.

Zimmerman has 42 caps, three goals and two assists for the senior U.S. national team and appeared in all four of the US's matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting three. He helped the US reach the round of 16, where they lost to the Netherlands.

With Nashville, Zimmerman has scored 13 goals and added six assists in 117 regular-season games, and is a four-time MLS Best XI selection. He was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2020 and 2021.

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This season, Zimmerman has appeared in 16 league games and started 13. He's helped the Nashville defense record six shutouts in 22 games. With Zimmerman at center back, NSC has allowed 1.2 goals per 90 minutes, compared to 1.7 without him on the field.

The U.S., which is making its first appearance at the Olympics since 2008, will begin Group A play against host nation France on July 24. It will face New Zealand on July 27 and Guinea on July 30. If the U.S. finishes among the top two in its group, it would advance to the quarterfinals on Aug. 2.

The semifinals are on Aug. 5 and the bronze-medal game and final are set for Aug. 8 and 9, respectively.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.