FRISCO, Texas – Walker Zimmerman scored the tying goal of FC Dallas’ dramatic comeback against Sporting KC on Saturday night, but that certainly wasn’t the only thing people wanted to talk about.
The young center back was also asked about his recent and somewhat surprising snub from the US Under-20 national team, which opened play in the World Cup in Turkey with a 4-1 loss to Spain last Friday and looked porous on the backline throughout the match.
“[The US U-20s] definitely could have used him,” FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman said of Zimmerman. “We were surprised that he wasn’t on the roster, but at the same time, those coaches made decisions for their own reasons.”
READ: US U-20s rebound with draw against France
Zimmerman was not called in for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in February and March while battling a groin injury that also postponed his MLS debut this spring. He did feature in the Marbella Cup in Spain last October, when the US U-20s won two of three international friendlies in Spain.
“It was a disappointing thing not to get called in, but at the same time I understand that I’ve been going through some injuries and they kind of wanted to stick with the guys that they had,” Zimmerman said after Saturday's draw. “I’d love to be there in Turkey. But at the end of the day, I’m doing what I can for Dallas and I’m glad to be playing again and I couldn’t have asked for a better night to come back and tie it up.”
Zimmerman’s late goal in the 2-2 draw against Sporting Kansas City was the first of his MLS career. He has appeared in four matches this season since he was drafted seventh overall out of Furman during the MLS SuperDraft in January.
“We like Walker a lot and I think the more you see him, the more you are going to like him,” Hyndman said. “He’s got great timing, a lot of courage to get on the end of the ball. I think he’s going to be a good one for us.”
