Lo'eau Kaiulani LaBonta (born March 18, 1993) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for the

Kansas City Current The Kansas City Current are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Kansas City, Missouri, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded as an NWSL expansion, expansion team in 2021 NWSL ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL), which she

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

s, and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. LaBonta played college soccer for the

Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal are the college athletics in the United States, athletic teams that represent Stanford University. Stanford's program has won 138 National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA team championships, the List of NCAA schools ...

, where she won the 2011 national championship. She was drafted by

Sky Blue FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 un ...

in the

2015 NWSL College Draft The 2015 NWSL College Draft was the third annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 16, 2015, at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Format *Dr ...

before signing with

FC Kansas City FC Kansas City was an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was one of the eight founding clubs of the National Women's Soccer League in 2012, and began play in 2013. They were two-time NWSL champio ...

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.

Club career

Sky Blue FC, 2015

Sky Blue FC drafted LaBonta from

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

with the 37th overall pick in the

. 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 The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the f ...

FC Kansas City, 2016–2017

signed LaBonta in May 2016. She debuted for FCKC against the

Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Pride began play in the 2016 National Women's Soccer League season, 2016 ...

shortly thereafter, and soon earned a regular starting position with the team. FCKC head coach

Vlatko Andonovski Vlatko Andonovski (; born 14 September 1976) is a Macedonian-American association football manager and former player who is the head coach and sporting director of the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League. He was the head c ...

cited her tenacity in winning possession from opponents for her increased playing time.

Western Sydney Wanderers, 2017–2019 (loan)

In October 2017, LaBonta joined Australian club

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...

. 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.

Utah Royals FC, 2018–2020

After

ceased operations after the 2017 season, LaBonta was officially added to the roster of the

Utah Royals FC The Utah Royals (formerly Utah Royals FC) are an American professional soccer team based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established on November 16, 2017, as an expansion team, ...

on February 8, 2018. LaBonta appeared in 16 games for the Royals in the

2018 NWSL season The 2018 National Women's Soccer League season was the sixth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2 ...

. She returned to Utah for the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

and scored her first goal for the club on April 21, in a 1–0 win over the

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995� ...

. LaBonta was named to the NWSL Team of the Month for August, she had 1 goal and 2 assists during the month of August.

Kansas City Current, 2021–present

LaBonta followed the transfer of player-related assets to the Kansas City expansion team

after the Utah Royals FC folded. It was LaBonta who coined the team chant "KC Baby" as the new team developed an identity. LaBonta finished the 2022 season with seven goals (five off penalties) and four assists and was selected to the NWSL Best XI. She converted a penalty in the first round of the playoffs, opening a 2–1 win against the

Houston Dash The Houston Dash are an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Dash began play in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at Shell Energy Stadium. His ...

. Kansas City reached the championship game, where they lost 2–0 to the

Portland Thorns Portland Thorns FC is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL, which received supp ...

. LaBonta became the Current's first-choice captain at the start of 2024. She scored her first career brace in a 4–1 win against Portland Thorns on June 23, 2024. 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 Gotham Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sk ...

. 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

; the match finished 3–2 to Orlando. LaBonta was named to the NWSL Team of the Month four times and NWSL Second XI at the end of the year.

International career

In May 2025, LaBonta received her first call-up to the

. On May 31, 2025, she made her international debut in a 3–0 victory over

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, becoming the oldest player in USWNT history to receive her first cap.

Personal life

LaBonta was born in

Rancho Cucamonga, California Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the List ...

. LaBonta is married to retired

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

player

Roger Espinoza Roger Aníbal Espinoza Ramírez (; born 25 October 1986) is a Honduran former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or defender. Espinoza currently serves as a youth coach for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. A form ...

. LaBonta was a ball girl at a USWNT game in Los Angeles in 2008.

Natasha Kai Natasha Kanani Janine Kai (born May 22, 1983) is an American professional soccer forward and Olympic gold medalist who played professionally most recently in 2019. She previously played for Sky Blue FC and the Philadelphia Independence of Women ...

, who has native Hawaiian heritage, learned that LaBonta has this too, and searched her out and gave her an autographed cleat. While attending Stanford, LaBonta earned a degree in engineering. LaBonta's reputation for elaborate goal celebrations—for which she earned the nickname "Celly Queen"—dates to a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

she took against

Angel City FC Angel City Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The formation of the team was announced on July 21, 2020; it beg ...

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. Video of the celebration went viral online, and it was emulated by athletes in other sports including

Travis Kelce Travis Michael Kelce ( ; born October 5, 1989) is an American professional American football, football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NF ...

and Alexander Mattison. In 2024, LaBonta appeared in the first season of '' The Offseason'', a reality television series following a group of NWSL players training before the new season.

Career Statistics

Club

''last updated February 16, 2025''

International

Honors

Kansas City Current *

NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup The NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup () is a women's soccer competition between clubs from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) of the United States and Liga MX Femenil of Mexico. The first edition took place in 2024, at venues in the Uni ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Individual * NWSL Best XI:

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

NWSL The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

Best XI Second Team:

References

External links

*
National Women's Soccer League player profile

Utah Royals FC player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:LaBonta, Loeau 1993 births Living people American expatriate sportspeople in Australia American people of Native Hawaiian descent American women's soccer players Expatriate women's soccer players in Australia FC Kansas City players National Women's Soccer League players Soccer players from Rancho Cucamonga, California Gotham FC draft picks Gotham FC players Stanford Cardinal women's soccer players Utah Royals players Western Sydney Wanderers FC (women) players Women's association football midfielders Kansas City Current players 21st-century American sportswomen United States women's international soccer players