Lo'eau LaBonta

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

Lo'eau LaBonta
LaBonta in May 2016
Personal information
Full name Lo'eau Kaiulani LaBonta[1]
Date of birth (1993-03-18) March 18, 1993
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
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Stanford Cardinal 78 (22)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 Sky Blue FC 6 (0)
2016–2017 FC Kansas City 22 (2)
2017–2019 → Western Sydney Wanderers (loan) 21 (1)
2018–2020 Utah Royals 42 (2)
2021– Kansas City Current 59 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 October 2023

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. She earned the nickname "Celly Queen" for her elaborate celebrations after scoring goals.[12]

Viral Goal Celebration Video

During the 2022 National Women's Soccer League season, Labonta's goal celebration went viral after converting a penalty kick against Angel City FC. After scoring, Labonta began moving toward the corner flag and walking as if she had injured her hamstring only to start twerking. The video of her celebration quickly went viral and other players in different sports began imitating the celebration including Travis Kelce and Alexander Mattison.[13][14][15]

Personal life

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

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

Career Statistics


last updated October 21, 2023

Club Division Season League (includes playoffs) Domestic Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC Kansas City NWSL 2017 22 2 — 22 2
Utah Royals 2018 16 0 — 16 0
2019 22 2 5 0 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
Total 123 15 20 1 139 16
WS Wanders (loan) W-League 2017-2018 12 1 — 12 1
2018-2019 9 0 — 9 0
Total 21 1 0 0 21 1
Career Total 144 16 20 1 160 17

Honours

Individual

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. 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. 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. https://atozsports.com/kansas-city/chiefs-travis-kelce-kc-current-loeau-labonta-viral-injury-twerk-celebration/
  14. https://www.insider.com/nwsl-star-loeau-labonta-fakes-injury-surprise-goal-celebration-2022-8
  15. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/the-lo-eau-labonta-celebration-is-taking-over-the-world/ar-AA1hzKaZ
  16. "NWSL Announces Winners of Mastercard Best XI Awards". NWSL Soccer. November 3, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.


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