RENO – Reno 1868 FC has signed Nick Von Niederhäusern, pending league and federation approval. Von Niederhäusern will play an integral defensive role alongside Jimmy Ockford, Brenton Griffiths and Jordan Murrell.

“Nick (Von Niederhäusern) has proven himself at the top level of Swiss soccer,” said Ian Russell, head coach of Reno 1868 FC. “I believe he will enhance our defensive tactics.”

Von Niederhäusern, 27, most recently played for Swiss (Raiffeisen) Super League club, FC Vaduz from 2013- 16 which earned him a spot in one of the world’s most popular video games, FIFA 16. He made a total of 74 appearances with Vaduz, including nine Europa League qualifier matches and was part of Vaduz’s Liechtenstein Cup Championships in 2014, ‘15 and ‘16. Vaduz posted a plus-44 goal differential (46-2) during Von Niederhäusern’s three-year stint in the Liechtenstein Cup.

Von Niederhäusern started his career with Swiss Challenge League club FC Winterthur, where he made 96 appearances from 2009-13. While playing for Winterthur, Von Niederhäusern made seven appearances for the Switzerland U20 team.

Greater Nevada Field will host up to 18 matches in 2017, with 16 coming as regular-season matches for Reno 1868 FC during their inaugural USL campaign. The USL previously announced that the regular season will expand to 32 matches beginning in 2017. The club will play its first preseason match against the MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes on February 18.