| Lo'eau LaBonta | |
| Fullname: | Lo'eau Kaiulani LaBonta[1] |
| Birth Date: | 18 March 1993 |
| Birth Place: | Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Kansas City Current |
| Clubnumber: | 10 |
| Collegeyears1: | 2011–2014 |
| College1: | Stanford Cardinal |
| Collegecaps1: | 78 |
| Collegegoals1: | 22 |
| Years1: | 2015 |
| Clubs1: | Sky Blue FC |
| Caps1: | 6 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2016–2017 |
| Clubs2: | FC Kansas City |
| Caps2: | 22 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2017–2019 |
| Clubs3: | → WS Wanderers (loan) |
| Caps3: | 21 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2018–2020 |
| Clubs4: | Utah Royals |
| Caps4: | 42 |
| Goals4: | 2 |
| Years5: | 2021– |
| Clubs5: | Kansas City Current |
| Caps5: | 78 |
| Goals5: | 17 |
| Pcupdate: | 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).
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.
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]
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 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. FCKC head coach Vlatko Andonovski cited her tenacity in winning possession from opponents for her increased playing time.[6]
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]
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]
LaBonta followed the transfer of player-related assets to the Kansas City expansion team Kansas City Current after the Utah Royals FC folded. It was LaBonta who coined the team chant "KC Baby" as the new team developed an identity.[12]
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.[13] [14] Video of the celebration went viral online, and it was emulated by athletes in other sports including Travis Kelce and Alexander Mattison.[15] [16] [17] LaBonta finished the season with seven goals (five off penalties) and four assists and was selected to the NWSL Best XI.[18] [19] She converted a penalty in the first round of the playoffs, opening a 2–1 win against the Houston Dash.[20] Kansas City reached the championship game, where they lost 2–0 to the Portland Thorns.[21]
LaBonta became the Current's first-choice captain at the start of 2024.[22] She scored her first career brace in a 4–1 win against Portland Thorns on June 23, 2024.[23] 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.[24] She finished the regular season with six goals with one assist as she led the Current to fourth place. 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.[25] LaBonta was named to the NWSL Team of the Month four times and NWSL Second XI at the end of the year.[26]
LaBonta was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California.[27] LaBonta is married to retired Sporting Kansas City player Roger Espinoza.[27]
While attending Stanford, she earned a degree in engineering.[27]
last updated September 22, 2023
| Club | Season | Regular Season | Domestic Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Sky Blue FC | 2016 | NWSL | 6 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| FC Kansas City | 2017 | 22 | 2 | — | 22 | 2 | |||
| Utah Royals | 2018 | 16 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | 22 | 2 | — | 27 | 2 | ||||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| Kansas City Current | 2021 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 30 | 9 | |||
| 2023 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |||
| 2024 | 19 | 6 | — | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 144 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 164 | 22 | |||
| WS Wanderers (loan) | 2017–2018 | W-League | 12 | 1 | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2018–2019 | 9 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 165 | 22 | 20 | 1 | 185 | 23 | |||
Kansas City Current
Individual