Zylker grew up in
San Francisco, California. He graduated from
South San Francisco High School and first attended
Cañada College where he was a two-time community college All-American. He transferred to
San Jose State University where he played three seasons (1971–1973) on the men's soccer team. He was a 1972 second team All American and holds the school's single season assists record. He was inducted into the SJSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1971, he joined the United States Olympic soccer team as it prepared for the
1972 Olympics. He played the final United States group game, a 7–0 loss to West Germany. In 1975, he returned to the Olympic team as it failed to qualify for the
1976 Summer Olympics. He played seven games in total with the United States Olympic team. Zykler played for the
San Francisco Vikings, a club founded by his grandfather. In 1975, he signed with the
San Jose Earthquakes of the
North American Soccer League. He played fifteen games that season. He began the 1976 season in San Jose before being traded to the
San Antonio Thunder midway through the season. He has coached the
Cañada College women's soccer team. ==References==