Kelsy launched his career at home with Mineros de Guayana, making his first-team debut in 2021 at just 16. That precocious start spoke to his ability, and the lengths he went to in order to join Mineros showed his resolve. With a nationwide Covid-19 travel ban in place, he covered roughly 500 miles from Valencia and slipped past checkpoints by riding hidden in a mining truck. He later told a Portland Timbers blog that airports weren’t an option, and that, as a teenager driven by his dreams, he followed a bold plan suggested by Mineros’ president and his agent to pursue his goal of becoming a professional and playing in Europe.
A year after debuting, he began to make an impact, scoring five times in 24 appearances. That form paved the way to Europe: after a brief stop in Uruguay with Boston River, he signed for Shakhtar Donetsk. Across two title-winning seasons in Ukraine, he scored nine goals in 37 matches, all while the war with Russia raged around him. He described it as a dramatic first experience abroad—culturally and on the pitch—recalling moments when he witnessed attacks and saw drones shot down, experiences he says hardened and matured him. Through it all, he tried to keep his focus on the dream that had carried him that far.