Nashville SC’s Zimmerman gets second chance at Olympic soccer

Defender serving as overage exemption player on U.S. Soccer roster

Walker Zimmerman still recalls the disappointment from eight years ago, moments after his U.S. team lost a critical game to Colombia.

A win in that contest would have sent the U.S. under-23 team to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The loss, however, meant the U.S. missed Olympic participation for a second straight cycle.

“That was kind of the moment where … there’s always [a dream] for the Olympics,” Zimmerman said. “But when that happened and we lost to Colombia, I was in the locker room and I remember I was like, `There goes my chance of being in the Olympics.’”

Surprisingly enough, however, the 31-year-old Zimmerman — Nashville SC’s captain and central defender — may be getting his second opportunity to play in the Olympics after all.

Though participation in Olympic men’s soccer is limited to players under the age of 23, each country is allowed three exceptions to the rule.