Nashville SC star Walker Zimmerman was released from a Charlotte, N.C., hospital on Saturday night after being carted off the field during a match due to being kicked in the face.
Charlotte FC’s Kerwin Vargas attempted a bicycle kick in the 72nd minute and his foot smacked Zimmerman’s face just as the latter headed the ball away. Zimmerman fell to the ground and teammates immediately signaled for medical personnel to provide assistance.
A bloodied Zimmerman was removed from the field while sporting a neck brace. The Nashville captain was initially listed in stable condition at the hospital before later being released.
Zimmerman, 31, is also a standout for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan told reporters after the 2-1 setback that he didn’t know if Zimmerman had lost consciousness.
Defender Daniel Lovitz said Zimmerman might have saved a goal due to his tight defense on the play.
“I’ve played with Walker long enough to see him put his head in some crazy situations, and quite frankly, it’s what makes him great and such a valuable part of our team and such a weapon offensively and defensively,” Lovitz said. “That’s just a difficult situation. You have a guy trying to score a spectacular goal who has no bad intent, has no idea Walker is going to stick his head in there, is just trying to score a goal.
“Walker is going to put his face in there to try to save a goal, and he ultimately did. It’s tough.”
Charlotte’s Ashley Westwood made it clear his squad was concerned about Zimmerman.
“First of all, we just want to make sure Walker is alright,” Westwood said. “It wasn’t nice to see, hopefully he’s doing alright.
“We send our best wishes as a team to him and his family. It’s not nice to see. Kerwin is just devastated. He was shaking on the pitch. Hopefully, he’s alright. Nothing else matters.”
Zimmerman, a two-time MLS Defender of the Year, played in his 273rd career MLS regular-season match on Saturday. The 13-year veteran is in his sixth season with Nashville. He has 25 career MLS goals and 11 assists.
Zimmerman has made 43 appearances for USMNT and has three goals and one assist.
–Field Level Media
