AMSTERDAM - After a long struggle just to arrive at Mainz 05, Washington state native Preston Zimmerman is finally feeling settled as he reclaims his career.
At the end of 2009, he was an outcast Kapfenberger SV striker, out of action for eight months and worn down from fighting for free agency in the Austrian courts.
Zimmerman eventually won the fight and closed this past year as a wide player with a much wider smile. Now the 22-year old is working primarily as a right midfielder for Mainz II, the club's second team.
He's also turned up on the left and even played one first-team friendly at right back. It's been a bit like starting over, but the American is catching on quickly.
"I had some growing pains with it, especially at right back," Zimmerman told MLSsoccer.com over the phone. "I'm playing exclusively as a wide player now. It started to come together in the late months [of 2010]. Early on, I had a red card and got a concussion, so I missed time."
"I've been playing mostly in midfield, but in a pinch I'll get pushed back. It's been difficult, but overall it's been positive for me," he added.
Zimmerman had been a forward throughout his entire pro and US youth international career until this season. He scored nine times in 36 games for Hamburg II and hit for three in 21 KSV outings. He also tallied three goals in 15 Mainz II appearances over the back half of last season.
While not totally new to playing outside, he admits needing a full re-education. This season the youngster has appeared 12 times for Mainz II. The team won three and drew two during his recent six-game string of starts, and then he hopped off the bench to open his season account by knocking Borussia Mönchengladbach off the top with an 86th minute winner on Dec. 14. The lessons are taking hold.
"I'd never played right back, obviously, but I did play in wide midfield when I was much younger, before 15," Zimmerman said. "I had forgotten a lot of it, like positioning. I had to learn those things, but they've helped me. After every game, we look at the video and they've taken the time to show me."
The Washington native did concede with a laugh that he didn't even realize when he'd done right during his wingback debut, an emergency move made at the last minute.
"It went well," rated Zimmerman. "Of course, I made some tactical errors, but we weren't punished by them."
So why the sudden change in position then? The happy answer involves nothing about a lack of faith in the American's skills. It's just that Mainz manager Christian Heidel wants his strikers cut from molds larger than Zimmerman's 5-foot-11-inch frame.
[inline_node:325918]"Basically, in order to fit in as a striker in this team, you have to be bigger than I am," he says bluntly. "All the guys they have now are bigger than me. Because of that, he wanted to change it up.
Far from insulted, Zimmerman reasoned that he didn't want to be competing for a job to which he could never measure up and gladly went about learning the flank.
"I appreciate that," he said of the switch. "I'm obviously happy that they felt I could play somewhere else."
"As far as I know, they like that I've been able to make the change. They say I need to keep doing what I'm doing and working hard. And being patient."
Zimmerman has learned plenty about patience during his four years as a pro, making him quite grateful to be back on the career climb as part of a rising club. The madness and isolation of 2009, in which he publicly fell out with KSV manager Werner Gregoritsch before spending five months in the Austrian courts battling for free agency, is now well behind him.
"Compared to then, it's amazing," declared Zimmerman. "From the big picture, about a year ago I had just signed with the club and didn't know what to expect. I was trying to erase some really bad memories and experiences. And improve my reputation again."
"It's definitely been a process, the year I've had at Mainz. I've put in the time and put in the work. I'm really glad the club has given me the opportunity. I've experienced a lot of things that will make me stronger in the future."
Next up for Zimmerman is Wednesday's return to Germany from his holiday vacation back home in America. He will then begin mid-season training camp before getting back to Mainz II business in the fourth tier Regionalliga West, a league half-filled with other Bundesliga reserve teams.
With the senior side holding down a Champions League slot at the winter break, Zimmerman fully realizes that first team chances are unlikely to come any time soon. Rather than curse the obvious depth chart obstruction, he is simply enjoying the vibe on campus these days.
"You can't complain because they're doing so well, just because you're on the outside looking in," he offered. "Anybody involved with the club, anybody that has Mainz by their name, looks pretty good right now. I want the team to play as well as they can. It's good for everybody."
True to current philosophical form, Zimmerman seems to have a hard time finding anything to complain about and this roster blockage is no exception. From the player he was two years ago, his career outlook has clearly changed more than has his position on the field.
"It's no knock on me if I can't break in; they're in second place," said Zimmerman. "The coach doesn't want to make changes, and in fact, just made the squad smaller. That's okay, and it's nothing to get upset over."
"As long as they show an interest in helping you grow, that's the important thing - because I've seen how situations can be bad."
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