Intrigue and excitement about professional soccer potentially coming to Greenville, South Carolina, continues to rise with each passing week, and current FC Dallas defender Walker Zimmerman is among the many eager to see the outcome.

In April, the United Soccer League announced plans to create a new third-division league to begin play in 2019. Since then, USL DIII Vice President Steven Short has visited multiple potential markets, including Greenville.

Zimmerman, who was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and played collegiately in Greenville at Furman University from 2011-12, understands why the USL would be interested in the Upstate.

“Greenville is a great city – a city I want to end back up in one day – and I think it’s a great market,” Zimmerman told USLD3.com. “It’s a hidden gem. People think of Greenville, and if they haven’t been there, they think it’s a small city in South Carolina.

“It’s going to be a really cool place if they can get a successful soccer team there.”