DETROIT – Detroit City FC announced on Wednesday it had acquired defender Matt Sheldon via transfer from fellow USL Championship club Hartford Athletic. In a corresponding transaction, the club transferred forward Skage Simonsen to Hartford Athletic for an undisclosed fee. The transactions are pending league and federation approval.

Sheldon joins Le Rouge having recorded 29 appearances for Hartford during the 2023 USL Championship campaign, recording 27 interceptions and 26 clearances in 1,857 minutes of action. A native of Bellevue, Wash., Sheldon also recorded one goal, one assist and 12 chances created during the campaign.

The 31-year-old will enter his eighth season in the Championship in 2024, having previously made 152 appearances across the regular season and playoffs while logging three goals and nine assists. Sheldon began his career in the league in 2016 with Orange County SC after competing in USL League Two for the Ventura County Fusion and OCSC’s reserve squad.

Sheldon has also competed in the league for Saint Louis FC, FC Tulsa and the Charleston Battery, making 66 appearances across three seasons in Tulsa between 2019 and 2021. He has additionally competed in Germany and New Zealand during his senior career after competing collegiately at the University of California, Davis.