MLS: Top 5 centre-backs in the league right now
By Matt Coles
3. Walker Zimmerman
The bronze medal spot on our list of the best current centre-backs in Major League Soccer goes to a man who is now at his third side in the American top-flight, Walker Zimmerman.
The defender spent two years at Furman University, where he played 39 times for the Paladins and earned a selection of individual honours for his performances.
MLS Career & Honours:
- FC Dallas (2013-2017)
- Los Angeles FC (2018-2019)
- Nashville SC (2020-)
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- MLS Best XI – 2019
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- Supporters’ Shield – 2016, 2019
- U.S. Open Cup – 2016
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FC Dallas used the 7th overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft to select Zimmerman and although he did not see much game time in his first couple of seasons in Texas, the centre-back became a key piece in their puzzle in 2015 and beyond.
He played in 20 regular-season matches that term, having started in a first post-season clash a year previous, and in 2016, Zimmerman took home his first pieces of silverware in his professional career. FC Dallas lifted both the Supporters’ Shield and the U.S. Open Cup in 2016, with the defender playing the full 90 minutes in the final of the latter competition, as FCD defeated New England Revolution 4-2.
After one more campaign with the Texan side, during which Zimmerman also made his international debut for the United States Men’s National Team, the centre-back made the switch to expansion side Los Angeles FC ahead of the 2018 season. He had a career year at the other end of the field, scoring four times during the regular season, along with tallying a single assist as well.
The 2019 season saw LAFC take the Supporters’ Shield with a record number of points for their regular-season performances, with Zimmerman a key part of their defence, starting all 25 matches he featured in, with his season split in two due to being a part of the USMNT squad at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. His performances for his club that season saw the defender named into the MLS Best XI for the first time in his career.
The defender was signed by another expansion side ahead of the 2020 term, as Nashville SC paid $1.25 million for him ahead of their first campaign in the American top-flight. Zimmerman scored the club’s first-ever goal in Major League Soccer and will continue to be an important part of their backline when the season returns next month.