It was a head scratching decision to leave Walker Zimmerman out of the back four going into the USA’s final group game against Iran. Before playing game 3 of the group stage – a must win match – the USA had only conceded one goal, in the final minutes in game 1 against Wales.
Aside from that mishap, Zimmerman has shown strong play throughout the tournament, including the warm up games leading up to it. Cameron Carter- Vickers did a commendable job in his place, but with less than 10 minutes left in the game, coach Gregg Berhalter decided to go all in on defensive effort.
What happened next was Walker Zimmerman coming in for game 1 hero Timothy Weah and literally saving the game. Most watching had never seen a clearing masterclass put on by an MLS defender in a World Cup, but there he was clearing four balls in the box with his head and – of course – the clearance that saved the game in the 98th minute. With the ball creeping through goalkeeper Matt Turner’s legs, Zimmerman was there to scoop it up and get it out.
So what do the late game heroics get Zimmerman in return? So far a non-committal response from Berhalter, despite his teammates’ acknowledgements that he indeed saved the game and the World Cup thus far for them.
Fellow back line mate Antonee Robinson was quoted by The Athletic, saying of his teammate: “That’s someone not thinking about himself. That’s someone giving everything, putting his body on the line for the team.”
There’s no doubt Carter-Vickers played a great game, especially in the first half. It’s a good problem to have, when you can rely on multiple defenders to give a team performances like that. But from everything we’ve seen from Zimmerman and the type of leadership he showed getting benched, come into the game late and saving the day, that needs to be rewarded.
There is a lot being made of Carter-Vickers having more European experience, but after watching Zimmerman do that, how can you deny him an opportunity to start again?
Whatever the decision, performances like that are what will keep USA moving forward in this tournament.
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