Just a few days before scoring two of the biggest goals in Leyton Orient's 143-year history, Charlie Kelman is reflecting on his love for Dallas, Texas. The accents, the heat, the food, the inescapable shadow of AT&T Stadium - all are so far away from where he is now, but in many ways, all have played a part in getting him there. The Texas accent was lost years ago, but it's still a part of his past and, maybe if he keeps walking the road he's walking on, his future.
No American striker has been as prolific as Kelman this season. His 21-goal campaign earned him the League One Golden Boot and lifted Leyton Orient, a club that has spent all but one of those 143 seasons in England's lower leagues, into the promotion playoff. In the first leg of the semifinal that kickstarts their fight towards the Championship, Kelman scored two more, earning a 2-2 draw with Stockport. And yet, days before he scores those two goals, he's just as excited to talk about home and how it made him.
Ahead of this season - a make-or-break campaign that ultimately made him - Kelman returned to Texas, braving the summer heat. There, at the Dallas Cowboys’ famed Star training complex, he turned himself into the player he always believed he could be but had never fully shown. It was in Texas that he prepared for the biggest year of his career, reinventing himself and, perhaps, reconnecting with the version of him that began this journey not far away.
"I had everything at my disposal," he says. "It was just locking away distractions. The timezone was six hours behind, and my missus was fuming because we could barely speak. My mom, she knew what I was going there to do. I stayed at my brother's and all I did was train. He was moaning to me, saying I needed a night out. And I'll have my night out - when I accomplish what I need to accomplish."
That night out is coming soon, and it's well earned given what has been accomplished this season. His 27 goals in all competitions have more than doubled his tally from the first six years of his career - combined. At 23, Kelmen has blossomed into a player who now has an uncertain future. He's only on loan at Leyton Orient from Championship side Queens Park Rangers, and while he wants to be the man that carries them to the Championship, there's no certainty about what happens when this playoff run ends.
Kelman's goals have his club's fans dreaming, though, and as he looks towards that future, he can't help but dream, too.
"Obviously, I want to play in a World Cup for America," he begins, listing off his goals one by one as if the checklist was sitting in front of him. "I want to play at the AT&T Stadium. That would be special because I've been there on countless school trips. I just want to score as many goals as possible. I want to play at the highest level I can. I want to play for FC Dallas or get to the Premier League and play for West Ham. I know Leyton Orient fans won't like hearing all of that, but these are all my next steps, but obviously I have to take it a step at a time and prove that I can do it."
"Like I said last summer, nothing else matters. I do belong here, and I'm here for a reason. Now I want to stamp that with a sort of authority. I've done it this year, but next step is, like I said, to play at the higher level. But most importantly, to prove that I'm not just a one-season wonder."
This season has proven that Kelman can accomplish things that previously seemed impossible. The Premier League and the U.S. men's national team don't feel particularly close yet, but suddenly, they don't really feel quite so far away.
With his breakout season still ongoing, GOAL spoke to Kelman about how this all happened, his impostor syndrome, his love for Dallas, and how he plans to cross off that checklist of dreams.
