Why Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman isn't taking this stint with USMNT for granted ahead of friendly

Walker Zimmerman didn't play when the United States men's national soccer team tied Canada at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 5, 2021. The next time the USMNT came to Nashville, a 4-0 win over Ghana on Oct. 17, 2023, Zimmerman wasn't part of the team at all.

That makes the USMNT's June 10 friendly against Switzerland (7 p.m., TNT) at Geodis Park the latest chance for the Nashville SC defender to represent his country in front of local fans. It's an experience that Zimmerman, despite his 44 caps for the national team, has never had.

"It'll be awesome," Zimmerman told the Tennessean. "Geodis Park feels like home, very comfortable playing there, so if my number's called, I'll be buzzing to be out there. Nashville's been very good to the national team as well. Both the men's and women's side have a very successful record in Nashville, so hopefully the fans will support and show up for us."

Whether he appears against Switzerland might be beside the point — Zimmerman almost missed being called up for this international window anyway. Already fighting to stay in the picture after injuries held him without a single USMNT cap between June 2023 and January 2025, he sustained a concussion with Nashville on April 5 and didn't play again until May 24.

Not only did Zimmerman miss nine games with which he could have built his case for coach Mauricio Pochettino, but he thought his return might have come a bit too late for inclusion.

In a way, he was right: Zimmerman was not on Pochettino's initial roster, but was added as a late injury replacement on June 1. Four days later, the center back was officially named to the USMNT for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will take place from June 14-July 6 in the United States and which the friendly against Switzerland serves as a tune-up for.

The Gold Cup, itself, is a bit of a tune-up: it's the USMNT's last major tournament before it hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.

"It's just another opportunity to represent the country, represent Nashville, my family and myself, to go out there and play with a lot of pride," Zimmerman said. "You never know when your last time is gonna be. I just want to make sure I have no regrets at the end of my career. ... To get to play for the USA is something that is very special to me, will always be special to me. So I'm gonna attack this summer as exactly what it is, which is a massive opportunity."

The USMNT that will face Switzerland and take part in the Gold Cup bears little resemblance to the team Zimmerman played for at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Key players Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson and Folarin Balogun are absent, leaving Zimmerman, 32, as one of just a handful of veterans. It's a similar role to the one he had as one of three overage players on the U.S. team at last summer's Paris Olympics.

"I don't think my mentality ever really changes too much," Zimmerman said. "... That's trying to be a leader, communicator, organizer and bring intensity with the way I train, with the way I play, and hopefully that will translate and can inject some life into some teammates."

MORE: Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman relished Olympics experience, now has eye on 2026 World Cup

Since Qatar, the USMNT has often scuffled. It failed to advance out of its group at the 2024 Copa America, leading to the firing of coach Gregg Berhalter and the hire of Pochettino, and is currently on a three-game losing streak — its second in the last calendar year after previously going nine years without one.

Zimmerman has experienced parallels at club level. Nashville had its worst-ever season in 2024, resulting in longtime coach Gary Smith being fired and replaced midseason by former USMNT assistant B.J. Callaghan. While NSC missed the playoffs for the first time ever, it's bounced back in 2025. Halfway through the season, it sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, just five points off the Supporters' Shield-leading Philadelphia Union, and has gotten there with an aggressive, attacking style of soccer.

Zimmerman feels Nashville's newfound dynamism and possession-oriented play could benefit him on the international stage and also meshes well with Pochettino, who he says has a similar, "intense" to him. So far, the only things missing from that equation are wins.

"I just got to be myself," Zimmerman said. "When I'm at my best, I know that that's good enough. I'm going to keep pushing my level, but I know that if I can be true to myself and show the quality that I bring to the team and the leadership and accountability and demands, I think I can be a real attribute to this team for this camp and beyond."

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

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Walker Zimmerman excited to be back with USMNT team