NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 10, 2020) –Nashville Soccer Club announced today that the club has come to terms on a contract extension with U.S. Men’s National Team International Walker Zimmerman through 2023. Nashville will be using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) to sign Zimmerman. The agreement, which also features an extension option for the 2024 season, further solidifies the center back as a long-term piece of the club’s future in Major League Soccer.
“I couldn’t be more excited to represent Nashville SC, on and off the pitch, for the next few years,” commented Zimmerman. “Nashville has shown that it embraces their sports teams with an unrivaled passion. We witnessed that firsthand at our inaugural game in February. My hope is to bring trophies to the city, and our fans, for years to come. Let’s ride, Smashville!”
Mike Jacobs, Nashville SC General Manager, said: “We acquired Walker knowing that he is one of, if not the top, centerback in Major League Soccer and the U.S. Men’s National Team pool. He is an important piece of our club’s present and future, and we wanted to commit ourselves to him to demonstrate that.”
Gary Smith, Nashville SC Head Coach, added: “I’m very happy to have Walker committed to our club for the next few years. His leadership and playing qualities will be a rock of a foundation as we build the team out into 2021 and beyond.”
Nashville SC acquired Zimmerman from the Los Angeles Football Club on Feb. 11, 2020 in a record-breaking deal right before the club’s inaugural MLS season. The defender immediately made his impact felt in Music City by scoring the first club’s goal in MLS history in front of a state record-breaking crowd for a soccer match of 59,069 on Feb. 29 against Atlanta United FC.
The Lawrenceville, Ga. native has been one of the premier defenders in MLS since entering the league in 2013. In his MLS career, Zimmerman has made 142 regular season appearances, 165 across all competitions, anchoring defenses to 42 shutouts and leading two separate clubs to MLS Supporter Shield trophies, in 2016 with FC Dallas and in 2019 with LAFC. Despite playing on the backline, Zimmerman has been a prolific goal contributor with 15 tallies and five assists.
At the international level, the American continues to gain significant playing time for the U.S. Men’s National Team with 12 caps (11 as a starter) since debuting in 2017 in a 1-0 victory against Jamaica.
Nashville will square off against FC Dallas in a two-match series in Frisco, Texas as part of the league’s continuation of regular season play plan. Following this series, the Boys in Gold will face Southeastern regional foes Atlanta United FC, Inter Miami CF and Orlando City SC as part of a six-match schedule through Sept. 12. The remainder of the schedule will be announced by early September.
Follow Nashville SC in their return to play by visiting www.NashvilleSC.com and the club’s social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transaction: Nashville SC and defender Walker Zimmerman agree to contract extension through 2023. The club has the option to extend Zimmerman’s contract through the 2024 season.
WALKER ZIMMERMAN
Position: Defender
Height: 6-3
Weight: 196
Birthdate: May 19, 1993
Age: 27
Hometown: Lawrenceville, GA
Nationality: United States
Last club: Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
How Acquired: Acquired from LAFC in exchanged for $600,000 in 2020 General Allocation Money (GAM), $350,000 in 2021 GAM and a 2020 international roster spot on Feb. 11, 2020. LAFC will receive an additional $150,000 in GAM in both 2020 and 2021, if Walker meets certain performance-based metrics.
