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Conor Kelly is a Rumson native and midfielder for Maidstone United FC, which competes in the National League South, in the sixth division of England's soccer system.
Maidstone United is in the middle of one of the greatest Cinderella runs in the history of the FA Cup. The tournament puts Premier League global powerhouses like Liverpool FC and Manchester City in the same competition against England's smallest professional clubs and even semi-pro squads.
Maidstone shocked second-tier Ipswich Town FC in a 2-1 victory in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, Jan. 27. The team nicknamed "Stones" became the first club in the sixth division or lower to qualify for the tournament's fifth round since 1978, according to Sky Sports.
Kelly signed for Maidstone before the season started in July 2023 and it was a return to England for him. He was born on Thursday, July 8, 1999, in Fulham, which soccer fans will recognize as the London-area home of Premier League club Fulham FC.
When he moved to New Jersey as a child, Kelly began playing for Cedar Stars Academy Monmouth. He also went to high school at Christian Brothers Academy in Middletown.
Before reaching dreams of qualifying for the FA Cup's version of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA's March Madness basketball tournament, Kelly played five college seasons at Duke and North Carolina State.
As an undergraduate, Kelly played in 54 matches for Duke before making the short trip down Tobacco Road for a graduate year at NC State in 2022. His best college season was his year with the Wolfpack, scoring seven goals and dishing out two assists in 17 matches.
NC State said Kelly scored the most goals of any Wolfpack player since 2016.
After college, Kelly returned to the Jersey Shore to begin his professional career. He played for FC Monmouth, a semi-pro club in Red Bank that competes in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of U.S. soccer.
FC Monmouth praised Kelly for making the FA Cup fifth round in his first season at Maidstone United and being one of six Americans still in the competition.
"Just seven months ago, [Kelly] was playing at Count Basie Park as a FC Monmouth player," the team posted on Facebook. "Our 2023 soccer golf players ‘cup’ winner brought some magic and most certainly some Jersey Shore energy with him to Maidstone United that has most certainly helped them in this current cup run.
"We’re incredibly proud of Conor for taking the risk that not many players would by going overseas. Everyone in Monmouth County has your back going into the next round!"
Kelly has not played since September, according to his page on soccer statistics website Transfermarkt. KentOnline reports he's been recovering from an ankle injury.
While he has yet to step on the pitch during Maidstone's FA Cup magic, Kelly did find some success in his first nine matches before his injury. He scored his first Stones goal in his eighth appearance in a 2-0 win over Chippenham Town on Saturday, Sept. 9.
Kelly said the Cinderella run is a surreal feeling for him and his teammates.
"If you catch anyone on their day, anything could happen," Kelly said on the "Caught Offside" podcast. "That's the magic of the FA Cup."
Kelly and Maidstone United will hope to knock off another second-tier club in the FA Cup. The Stones will play the winner of a Tuesday, Feb. 6 match between Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday.
Maidstone's fifth-round match is expected to be played around Wednesday, Feb. 28, and it'll be broadcast in the U.S. on ESPN+.
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