Nashville SC captain Walker Zimmerman has had a long road back to the pitch.
The 32-year-old took a bicycle kick to the face in early April against Charlotte. The defender was down on the pitch for nearly 10 minutes while medical staff tended to him, and was sent directly to a nearby hospital for treatment. After a nearly two-month long absence, Zimmerman returned to the pitch for Nashville SC, and earned a last-minute call to the US Men's National Team's Gold Cup roster shortly after.
Speaking to media ahead of the USMNT's friendly against Türkiye, Zimmerman opened up about the recovery process.
"It was definitely a longer-than-expected time to be out with a concussion," Zimmerman said on Tuesday. "Every concussion's different. I learned a lot about how it can work with vestibular issues, when you look at like your eyes and your ears and the role that plays into overall symptoms that you can have, whether it's dizziness or fatigue. It it was a lot!"
Zimmerman was stuck in a day-to-day concussion protocol, a cycle of progress and setbacks that left both him and the rest of the Nashville staff unsure about when he'd be able to play again. It was frustrating.
A lengthy recovery process
"It's not to say that I was down and out," said Zimmerman. "For the most part it was just very minor symptoms but consistent. It took a long time to get over. And then, you'd think you'd be back to training and then we would introduce headers and something might not go well. It was a lot of up and down."
"He wants to show Pochettino he can be a part of this moving forward."@CharlieDavies9 backs Walker Zimmerman's return to the USMNT. pic.twitter.com/rmzwlwKSH3
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) June 4, 2025
Throughout the process, the entire Nashville SC organization played a crucial role, both in aiding Zimmerman's recovery and helping him stay positive during a long, frustrating and unpredictable process.
"They did a great job just keeping me level-headed and understanding it is a process," he said. "I had to accept that sometimes, doing less and not trying to work so hard is the fastest way back. That's a hard lesson for me. It's a hard lesson as an athlete. But then yes, things slowly started getting better and it got to the point where I was like, man, I might be able to to put myself in a position to to be on this [USMNT] roster this summer."
Once the concussion protocol was finally cleared, Zimmerman took no time to get back on the pitch. He missed a scoreless draw with DC United on May 20, cleared the protocol days later, and came off the bench for a 2-1 win in Toronto on May 24.
A week later, and just one day after his first 90-minute appearance in 63 days, Zimmerman was back on the USMNT roster as a late injury replacement for Miles Robinson. It's just his second call up since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"I started training probably two weeks ago and started to get some minutes in games over the past two weeks and and ultimately had the first 90 in the past two months this past weekend," he said. "Really happy that time-wise it worked out to to get back, but concussions are are different. It's different for everyone, and this one certainly took longer than I'd have hoped. But I'm glad that now I'm back. I don't think twice about it now that I've played a couple games."
A new look
Zimmerman marked his return to the Nashville starting lineup with a bold choice. After growing out his hair since the league schedule paused during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, he changed things completely on Saturday, rolling up to Geodis Park in a buzzcut.
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) May 31, 2025
"I'd thought about cutting my hair at some point this year. Didn't really know when. Maybe was gonna be after the season," he said. "Then the concussion thing came about, summer was coming up and kind of the return to playing, and I think the time is now."
"I haven't looked back. It's felt felt pretty natural," he laughed. "I'm happy happy about it and definitely feel a little bit younger, a little bit colder too. Wind definitely blows through a little easier. But I tell you what; hopping out of an ice bath or a shower is so fast to just get dried out. I'm buzzing."
The United States take on Türkiye in a friendly on Saturday, June 7 at 2:30 pm CT in East Hartford, Connecticut. They'll then head to familiar territory for Zimmerman, playing against Switzerland at Nashville's Geodis Park on Tuesday, June 10. Their first match of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is set for Sunday, June 15.
