Lo'eau LaBonta

Last updated

Lo'eau LaBonta
NC Courage vs KC Current (Sep 2024) 028 (LaBonta).jpg
LaBonta with the Kansas City Current in 2024
Personal information
Full name Lo'eau Kaiulani LaBonta [1]
Date of birth (1993-03-18) March 18, 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States
Height 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Kansas City Current
Number 10
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2011–2014 Stanford Cardinal 78 (22)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2015 Sky Blue FC 6 (0)
2016–2017 FC Kansas City 22 (2)
2017–2019 → WS Wanderers (loan) 21 (1)
2018–2020 Utah Royals 42 (2)
2021– Kansas City Current 78 (17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 22, 2024

Lo'eau Kaiulani LaBonta (born March 18, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for and captains the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Contents

LaBonta played college soccer for the Stanford Cardinal, where she won the 2011 national championship. She was drafted by Sky Blue FC in the 2015 NWSL College Draft before signing with FC Kansas City in 2016. After FC Kansas City folded, she went to the Utah Royals for three years before returning when the Kansas City Current began play in 2021. She helped lead the Current to the NWSL title game and was named to the NWSL Best XI in 2022.

College soccer

LaBonta attended Stanford University from 2011 to 2014, and was part of the NCAA National Championship winning team in the 2011 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament. [2]

Club career

Sky Blue FC, 2015

Sky Blue FC drafted LaBonta from Stanford with the 37th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft. She made six appearances before Sky Blue FC waived her and Meg Morris in July 2015 to make room on the roster for players returning from the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. [3] [4]

FC Kansas City, 2016–2017

FC Kansas City signed LaBonta in May 2016. [5] She debuted for FCKC against the Orlando Pride shortly thereafter, and soon earned a regular starting position with the team. [4] FCKC head coach Vlatko Andonovski cited her tenacity in winning possession from opponents for her increased playing time. [6]

Western Sydney Wanderers, 2017–2019 (loan)

In October 2017, LaBonta joined Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers. [7] She played every match for the Red & Black, scoring one goal. She returned to the Wanderers for the 2018–19 season and appeared in 9 games. [8]

Utah Royals FC, 2018–2020

After FC Kansas City ceased operations after the 2017 season, LaBonta was officially added to the roster of the Utah Royals FC on February 8, 2018. [9] LaBonta appeared in 16 games for the Royals in the 2018 NWSL season.

She returned to Utah for the 2019 season and scored her first goal for the club on April 21, in a 1–0 win over the Washington Spirit. [10] LaBonta was named to the NWSL Team of the Month for August, she had 1 goal and 2 assists during the month of August. [11]

Kansas City Current, 2021–present

LaBonta followed the transfer of player-related assets to the Kansas City expansion team Kansas City Current after the Utah Royals FC folded. [12] It was LaBonta who coined the team chant "KC Baby" as the new team developed an identity. [13]

LaBonta's reputation for elaborate goal celebrations—for which she earned the nickname "Celly Queen"—dates to a penalty kick she took against Angel City FC on August 19, 2022. After scoring, she ran toward the corner flag and motioned as if she had injured her hamstring only to break out into a twerk. [14] [15] Video of the celebration went viral online, and it was emulated by athletes in other sports including Travis Kelce and Alexander Mattison. [16] [17] [18] LaBonta finished the season with seven goals (five off penalties) and four assists and was selected to the NWSL Best XI. [19] [20] She converted a penalty in the first round of the playoffs, opening a 2–1 win against the Houston Dash. [21] Kansas City reached the championship game, where they lost 2–0 to the Portland Thorns. [22]

LaBonta became the Current's first-choice captain at the start of 2024. [23] She scored her first career brace in a 4–1 win against Portland Thorns on June 23, 2024. [24] On October 26, she assisted both of Temwa Chawinga's goals in the final of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, a 2–0 victory against NJ/NY Gotham FC. [25] She finished the regular season with six goals with one assist as she led the Current to fourth place. [26] In the playoff semifinals, she entered questionable for a leg injury and subbed off at halftime tied 1–1 with the Orlando Pride; the match finished 3–2 to Orlando. [27] LaBonta was named to the NWSL Team of the Month four times and NWSL Second XI at the end of the year. [26]

Personal life

LaBonta was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California. [12] LaBonta is married to retired Sporting Kansas City player Roger Espinoza. [12]

While attending Stanford, she earned a degree in engineering. [12]

Career Statistics

last updated September 22, 2023

ClubSeasonRegular Season [a] Domestic CupTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sky Blue FC 2016 NWSL 60—60
FC Kansas City 2017 222—222
Utah Royals 2018 160—160
2019 222—272
2020 005050
Kansas City Current 2021 19130221
2022 23871309
2023 17250222
2024 196—21
Total1442120116422
WS Wanderers (loan) 2017–2018 W-League 121—121
2018–2019 90—90
Total21100211
Career total1652220118523
  1. ↑ Includes playoffs

Honors

Kansas City Current

Individual

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References

  1. ↑ "School of Engineering – Bachelor of Science: Degrees Conferred March 31, 2016". 125th Commencement. Stanford, California: Stanford University. June 12, 2016. p. 39. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Stanford's Lo'eau LaBonta Seizing Opportunity To Go Out A Champion". November 15, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sky Blue FC Waives LaBonta, Morris to Make Room for Foord, Kerr". Sky Blue FC. July 2, 2015. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Gaylor, Rachel (May 25, 2017). "Player Profile – Lo'eau LaBonta". FC Kansas City . Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  5. ↑ FC Kansas City (May 28, 2016). "Blues Sign Midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta". OurSportsCentral. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  6. ↑ Scoby, Ashley (September 10, 2016). "Development of young players a bright spot in FC Kansas City's down year". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  7. ↑ "LaBonta joins the Wanderers". Western Sydney Wanderers. October 19, 2017.
  8. ↑ "LeBonta returns to the Red & Black". September 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Utah Royals FC officially welcomes five additions to 2018 NWSL roster". February 8, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  10. ↑ "L.LABONTA" . Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  11. ↑ "August Team of the Month". September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Bachman, Rachel (October 28, 2022). "Kansas City's Soccer Star Is a Twerking, Goal-Scoring Late Bloomer". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Kansas City Current midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta signs new contract". Kansas City Current. January 31, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  14. ↑ Hruby, Emma (October 29, 2022). "Current's Lo'eau LaBonta calls creative goal celebrations a fun challenge'". Just Women's Sports . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  15. ↑ Moore, Lela (March 24, 2023). "More Than the Celly Queen: Lo'eau LaBonta Has Built Something Special in Kansas City". Bleacher Report . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Chiefs' Travis Kelce channels KC Current's Lo'eau LaBonta". September 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ "A professional soccer star faked an injury after scoring to set up an epic twerking goal celebration". Insider.com .
  18. ↑ "MSN". MSN .
  19. ↑ Palmer, Tod. "3 Kansas City Current players earn NWSL Best XI honors". KSHB-TV . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  20. ↑ "2022 Kansas City Current Stats (NWSL)". FBref.com . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Match Report: Kate Del Fava's stoppage-time winner seals historic NWSL playoff victory for Kansas City Current". Kansas City Current. October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Match Report: Kansas City Current's historic season ends with loss in NWSL Championship". Kansas City Current. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  23. ↑ "2024 Kansas City Current Stats". FBref.com . Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  24. ↑ Rantz, Susie (June 23, 2024). "Lo'eau LaBonta scored twice as KC Current beat Portland Thorns and remain undefeated in NWSL". Associated Press . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Temwa Chawinga lifts Kansas City over Gotham to win inaugural Summer Cup". The Equalizer. October 26, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  26. 1 2 "Kansas City Current has three players named to NWSL's Best XI teams, presented by Amazon Prime". Kansas City Current. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  27. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (November 17, 2024). "After memorable season, KC Current fall 1 goal shy vs. Pride in semis: the story". The Kansas City Star . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Match Report: Kansas City Current win NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with 2-0 victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC". Kansas City Current. October 25, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  29. ↑ "NWSL Announces Winners of Mastercard Best XI Awards". NWSL Soccer. November 3, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  30. ↑ NWSL (November 18, 2024). "NWSL Announces Winners of 2024 NWSL Best XI Awards, presented by Amazon Prime | NWSL Announces Winners of 2024 NWSL Best XI Awards, presented by Amazon Prime | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
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