Charlie Kelman Southend United screenshotQuest

VIDEO: U.S. youth international scores 60-yard debut goal in League One

The best goal in England this weekend may well have come from a United States youth international making his league debut.

17-year-old forward Charlie Kelman had featured once for League One side Southend United in the EFL Trophy, was handed his first ever league appearance for the club in the 71st minute.

It would turn into a night he will likely never forget late on, when Kelman picked up the ball just behind the halfway line and launched an ambitious effort with the goalkeeper of his line.

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Plymouth goalkeeper Kyle Letheren did not handle the attempt particularly well, and the long-range effort found its way into the back of the net.

It brought Southend back to within a goal in stoppage time, but their late comeback fell short as they lost 3-2, leaving them 12th in the table.

“Thank you to all the staff Southend United and Southend United Youth Academy for believing in me and giving me this opportunity at such a young age,” Kelman wrote on twitter. “I couldn’t be more grateful I won’t stop here and Dru Yearwood 50 appearances congrats!”

“I don’t want it to mask what was a tough day, but if you want to take something from today it would be that [goal],” manager Chris Powell said after the match. “He’s a young talent, he’s trained with us, we’ve had him in and around the group training and we all like him.

“As it seems at the minute, we’re having to put out a patchwork team, a patchwork squad full of young players who will either get up to the rhythm and the pace of it or find it a bit difficult. He was a real livewire for us and obviously he’s scored a wonderful goal which is the only positive memory that I have of today."

Kelman is England-born, but spent much of his youth in Texas and spent time in FC Dallas’ academy before moving back to his native country with Southend.

The teenager is eligible to represent the U.S. through his father, and has been called up to the Under-18 side in the past.

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