IRVINE, Calif. – Orange County SC announced on Wednesday the club had signed midfielder Stephen Kelly for the remainder of the 2025 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Kelly joins OCSC from Livingston FC, which he helped earn promotion to the Scottish Premiership during the 2024-25 Scottish Championship season. During his time with the Lions, the 25-year-old made 113 appearances, scored 15 goals and recorded 10 assists. This past season, the 25-year-old played a pivotal role in the club’s promotion back to the Premiership, earning back-to-back Player of the Month honors for the club in March and April in recognition of his standout performances.

“We are very excited to welcome Stephen to Orange County SC," said Peter Nugent, OCSC President of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “He is a player of proven quality who has competed at a high level in the Scottish Premiership and brings valuable experience to our midfield. His vision, technical ability, and competitive nature will add real quality to our group. What stood out to us was not only his talent but his hunger to embrace a new challenge abroad and represent OCSC. We’re confident Stephen will quickly become a key player for the team this year."

A native of Port Glasgow, Scotland, Kelly began his youth career with Glasgow Rangers, an OCSC Partner club, and made his debut for the club in the 2018 League Cup against Ayr United. Kelly has been capped 20 times from U16 to U21 level for Scotland, featuring most recently for the U21 against Denmark in June of 2021, where he scored in a 1-1 draw against the Danes.

The midfielder spent the 2019-20 season on loan in the Scottish Championship with Ayr United, featuring 33 times and scoring 6 goals. In 2020, Kelly spent time on loan at Ross County, where he helped them stay in the topflight, featuring 29 times for the club.

2021 saw Kelly start the campaign playing for Rangers and Rangers B before he moved to Salford City on loan for the second half of the Season. Kelly went on to make 21 appearances for the English League Two side before transferring to Livingston FC in 2022.

“I am delighted to have joined OCSC,” said Kelly. “This opportunity was a really exciting one that I felt I wanted to make the most of when I first heard from the club. Hopefully, this can be a successful period for the club, and I am looking forward to playing at home on Saturday in front of the fans.”