USMNT taking inspiration from Michael Phelps, Simone Biles & LeBron James in Olympic gold medal bid – with Walker Zimmerman living ‘resurrected dream’ as part of Team USA

The United States have seen their men’s football team bring a 16-year absence from the Games to a close. They are heading to Paris as part of a stacked Team USA that boasts big ambition across the sporting spectrum.

Zimmerman will be captaining his country and is excited to be following in the footsteps of legendary gold medal-winning stars that have gone before him. He has told FIFA’s official website: “I love watching swimming, all of the Michael Phelps races, also the rivalry we had with the Aussies at Sydney 2000, or the relay races where it comes down to the last leg. I can still picture all of them slapping the water [at Beijing 2008], rooting on their anchor to try to come back and win and they did by a couple hundredths of a second. I like watching Simone Biles in gymnastics, it’s been amazing to see what she’s been able to do. Other events like Team USA basketball, which is always stacked.”

America’s basketball side is no longer being billed as the ‘Dream Team’, but they still have the likes of James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid at their disposal. Zimmerman thought that his chance to grace the same Olympic team as iconic fellow countrymen had passed him by, adding on treading that path at the age of 31: “It’s crazy. It’s something that you obviously dream of as a kid growing up. You’re glued to the TV when the Olympics are on. You’re supporting everyone on Team USA, it doesn’t matter what event it is. Everyone tunes in to watch the Olympics. When my cycle didn’t qualify, I thought that possibility was most likely over, but then over the past six, seven months it looked like there was a real chance to be a part of this group as an overage player. This second life is amazing because it’s a resurrected dream.”

Zimmerman, who plies his club trade in MLS for Nashville SC, will lead the USMNT into action on Wednesday when facing hosts France in Marseille. Their quest for Olympic glory will continue in the group stage against New Zealand and Guinea.

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