Matthew Sheldon

Matthew Sheldon (born August 23, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for USL Championship side Hartford Athletic.

For the American football coach, see Matt Sheldon.

Matthew Sheldon
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-08-23) August 23, 1992
Place of birth Bellevue, Washington, United States
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Hartford Athletic
Number 16
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 UC Davis Aggies 61 (17)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 San Jose Earthquakes U23 14 (6)
2015 Ventura County Fusion 11 (0)
2016 Orange County Blues U23 1 (0)
2016 SG Kinzenbach 13 (1)
2016 Orange County Blues 16 (0)
2017 Saint Louis FC 12 (0)
2018 Waterside Karori 7 (0)
2019-2021 FC Tulsa 64 (2)
2022 Charleston Battery 29 (0)
2023– Hartford Athletic 29 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 18, 2023

Early life

Sheldon was born on 23 August 1992 in Bellevue, Washington, United States. He grew up in Portland, Oregon with his brother, sister and parents. He played recreational soccer until 5th grade, when he joined his first club team. At the time, soccer was just one of many sports that Sheldon played - he played basketball, baseball and American football as well

Sheldon attended Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon. Alongside high school soccer, he played for Westside Metros Remix club (now known as Westside Timbers).

College career

During his senior year, Sheldon received athletic scholarships from both UC Davis and Oregon State, as well as a roster spot from Gonzaga. He committed to play for UC Davis.

Club career

Sheldon played college soccer at UC Davis between 2011 and 2014.[2] He spent time in the Premier Development League with San Jose Earthquakes U23 in 2014, Ventura County Fusion in 2015, and briefly with Orange County Blues U-23 in 2016, before moving to Germany with sixth-tier side SG Kinzenbach.[3]

Sheldon signed with United Soccer League club Orange County Blues in July 2016, making his professional debut on July 10, 2016, in a 3–3 draw with Sacramento Republic.[4]

In November 2016, Sheldon announced that he would play for Saint Louis FC for the 2017 USL season.[5]

In March 2018, it was announced Sheldon would play for amateur club side Waterside Karori in Wellington, New Zealand.[6][7]

On January 14, 2019, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC announced that they had signed Sheldon for their 2019 season.[8]

On December 10, 2019, it was announced that Tulsa, now rebranded as FC Tulsa, had re-signed Sheldon to their roster for the 2020 USL Championship season.[9][10]

On December 15, 2020, it was announced that FC Tulsa, had re-signed Sheldon to their roster for the 2021 USL Championship season following a successful campaign with the club in 2020.[11]

On December 30, 2021, it was announced that Sheldon had signed a contract with the Charleston Battery ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season.[12] Following the 2022 season, Sheldon was released by Charleston.[13]

On January 31, 2023, Sheldon was announced as a new signing for USL Championship side Hartford Athletic on a one-year deal.[14]

Media

Sheldon also operates two notable YouTube channels called Become Elite as well as the Against All Odds Podcast which combined currently have over 560,000 subscribers.[15][16] Both channels give a behind the scenes look into the life of a professional soccer player.

References
  1. "Matt Sheldon". USL Championship. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  2. "UCDAVISAGGIES.com Matt Sheldon Bio :: UC Davis Official Athletic Site :: Men's Soccer". Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  3. "FORMER UC DAVIS' MATT SHELDON SIGNS WITH GERMAN SOCCER CLUB – GoalNation". February 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  4. "Orange County Blues vs. Sacramento Republic – 11 July 2016 – Soccerway".
  5. "Dalgaard Latest New Face to Join Saint Louis FC, Former Blues Defender Sheldon Also Added to STLFC For 2017 Season – USLSoccer.com Staff". November 15, 2016.f
  6. "Waterside Karori announce new signings". Waterside Karori Facebook page. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  7. "Ultra Football Central League gets underway with Easter Monday action". Capital Football. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  8. "Tulsa Roughnecks Sign Matt Sheldon". roughnecksfc.com. Tulsa Roughnecks FC. January 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  9. "FC TULSA RE-SIGNS DEFENDER MATT SHELDON TO 2020 ROSTER". fctulsa.com. FC Tulsa. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  10. "TRANSACTIONS: Sheldon Re-Ups for Second Season in Tulsa". USLChampionship.com. December 10, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  11. "FC Tulsa re-signs defender Matt Sheldon". December 15, 2020.
  12. "Battery Sign Veteran Defender Matt Sheldon". December 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. "Battery announce initial returning players for 2023".
  14. USLChampionship com Staff (January 31, 2023). "Veteran defender Matt Sheldon joins Hartford Athletic". USL Championship.
  15. "Become Elite - YouTube". YouTube.
  16. "Against All Odds Podcast". YouTube.


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