Matthew Sheldon

For the American football coach, see Matt Sheldon.

Matthew Sheldon
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-08-23) August 23, 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Bellevue, Washington, United States
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Detroit City
Number 13
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)
2024– Detroit City 29 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 27, 2024

Matthew Sheldon (born August 23, 1992) is an American professional soccer player and Youtuber who plays for USL Championship side Detroit City FC.[2]

Early life

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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[citation needed]

Sheldon attended Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon. Alongside high school soccer, he played for Westside Metros Remix FC.

College career

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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.[citation needed]

Club career

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Sheldon played college soccer at UC Davis between 2011 and 2014.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5]

In November 2016, Sheldon announced that he would play for Saint Louis FC for the 2017 USL season.[6]

In March 2018, it was announced Sheldon would play for amateur club side Waterside Karori in Wellington, New Zealand.[7][8]

On January 14, 2019, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC announced that they had signed Sheldon for their 2019 season.[9]

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.[10][11]

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.[12]

On December 30, 2021, it was announced that Sheldon had signed a contract with the Charleston Battery ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season.[13] Following the 2022 season, Sheldon was released by Charleston.[14]

On January 31, 2023, Sheldon was announced as a new signing for USL Championship side Hartford Athletic on a one-year deal.[15]

Sheldon joined Detroit City on January 24, 2024. A corresponding transaction saw Skage Simonsen join Hartford from Detroit.[16][17]

Personal life

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Sheldon also operates two notable YouTube channels called Become Elite as well as the Against All Odds Podcast which combined currently have over 675,000 subscribers.[18][19] Both channels give a behind the scenes look into the life of a professional soccer player.

He married his partner, Mimi Estelle on December 4, 2021.[20]

When asked who motivated him to become a soccer player, Sheldon cited his parents as a motivation to become a professional athlete, he stated in an interview "My parents were the biggest supporters of my athletic career since the start. My Dad pushed me to go for a D1 scholarship when I was unsure of my capabilities. They supported me every step of the way, and without them I don't know if I would have even made it to Varsity High School soccer. Having the belief of your parents is such a huge motivation as a young athlete".[21]

Honors

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Ventura County Fusion

FC Tulsa

Detroit City FC

References

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  1. ^ "Matt Sheldon". USL Championship. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Become Elite". YouTube. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Orange County Blues vs. Sacramento Republic – 11 July 2016 – Soccerway".
  6. ^ "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
  7. ^ "Waterside Karori announce new signings". Waterside Karori Facebook page. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  8. ^ "Ultra Football Central League gets underway with Easter Monday action". Capital Football. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Sheldon Re-Ups for Second Season in Tulsa". USLChampionship.com. December 10, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "FC Tulsa re-signs defender Matt Sheldon". December 15, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Battery Sign Veteran Defender Matt Sheldon". December 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  14. ^ "Battery announce initial returning players for 2023".
  15. ^ USLChampionship com Staff (January 31, 2023). "Veteran defender Matt Sheldon joins Hartford Athletic". USL Championship.
  16. ^ "2024 USL CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER UPDATES". DetCityFC.com. Detroit City. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "Hartford Athletic Transfer Defender Matt Sheldon to Detroit City FC". Hartford. Hartford Athletic. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "Become Elite - YouTube". YouTube.
  19. ^ "Against All Odds Podcast". YouTube.
  20. ^ Mimi Estelle (June 3, 2022). The Wedding of Mimi and Matthew Sheldon Dec 4, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2024 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Drotar, Bryan (November 1, 2016). "Becoming Elite". The Recruiting Code. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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