Nashville SC still hasn’t played their first game in MLS, but the expansion side is already making waves around the league. The club confirmed on Tuesday that they have acquired U.S. international defender Walker Zimmerman from LAFC in what is one of the biggest moves of the offseason for any team.
According to reports, Nashville will give up a substantial package for Zimmerman including $950,000 in General Allocation Money and an international roster spot in 2020. The total amount might rise to $1.25 million based on certain incentives. This represents a record amount of allocation money involved in a trade for a defender.
“Walker Zimmerman is a player who we had our sights on when we first started to assemble this group, and we are very excited to add his on and off field abilities and leadership to our roster,” said Nashville’s general manager Mike Jacobs in a statement. “He has proven success at the domestic and national team levels and fits the mold of the kind of player and person that our club represents.”
It definitely comes as a surprise that LAFC decided to move on Walker Zimmerman, considering he was a crucial member of the team in recent years. He also signed a four-year contract extension in 2019, which made it seem like he was a part of the team’s long term plans. However, with Nashville’s lucrative offer and the fact that the team is well equipped back, with Danilo Silva, Eddie Segura, and Tristan Blackmon, LAFC decided they would be better off using this opportunity to facilitate some other moves.
Zimmerman spent his entire career in MLS, spending five years with Dallas FC before joining LAFC in 2018. He is also a member of USMNT since 2017, and currently has 12 matches and two goals under his belt.
