By Lesley Ryder
At a time when Emma Hayes is naming younger and younger rosters, 32-year old Lo’eau Labonta’s call up to the national team may come as a surprise. The Kansas City Current captain has earned the right to play for the USWNT, and is wasting no time in making her mark at camp.
The reaction to her call-up was one of excitement and immediate support. As a broadcaster herself with CBS’ Attacking Third, it’s something she can recognize. “It's a great story, right? Someone finally achieved their dreams this so far on,” Labonta said before her second match. Still, it time for her to recognize the moment taking hold. “My dad was like, ‘I've never seen someone get so much love.’ And then I was like, oh, but that's just a dad. You know? He's a fan, of course he's gonna focus on me. But then my husband who's had an international career as well, (2-time World Cup player for Honduras, Roger Espinoza) was like, no, everyone is loving you.”
By now, Labonta has seen all the love, and heard the support online and in person. “When we were doing warm ups, I would get off the bench and go over and everybody be like, ‘Lo’eau! Lo’eau!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, my God, my people, thank you!’ It was great. I did definitely get chills when I heard that coming on,” she recalled after her first match in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Labonta has been egoless in her first camp. She’s gotten to share this moment with Claire Hutton, and Michelle Cooper, two of her younger teammates from the KC Current, and is embracing the opportunity to learn from them. “They have all the answers, right? I think it's interesting to have to lean on them… Like, it doesn't matter how old you are, how young you are, you can still ask people, you still learn. And that's what I've gotten out of this environment. It's so fun, because if it's one person that doesn't have the answer, I'm like, direct me to whoever does have it.”
The adjustment, of course, isn’t without challenges. “The only thing I've really had to work on is not calling [Claire Hutton] junior, which I do call her in club,” Labonta joked “I put some respect on her name, and called her Claire here. She has more caps than me, like she's above me here.”
Labonta is making the most of her trip to camp, generation gap or none. She went 10-for-10 in her passes in her first match against China. She seized a moment and charged on the ball to make her first pass. “What I love about Emma is that she wants the players to demand the ball. And I was like, hey, nobody else is going, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna touch the ball and I connect my first pass. And I think that's such a huge thing in the sport, like when you're coming for a cap, or your first game, whatever, get that done, and then everything is just chill after that.”
Head coach Emma Hayes had plenty of praise for the midfielder. “She has come into the camp and settled in a way that, I think that's the difference with having experience. She's still wants to improve all the time, but she's come in not just with great humility, but a great confidence in herself and what she brings,” Hayes said ahead of their St. Louis match. “She's soaked up. She's soaked up every single minute like it was her last. And her behavior towards not just herself, but everybody else in the team, I think serves as a great reminder that, one, it's never too late, but also that you never stop learning.”
“Every camp, we’re competing for everything, and Lo’eau has come from the middle of the pack, to vying for the lead alongside Emma Sears and Emily Sams, going into the last session today.”
Hayes has emphasized that age is not a factor for consideration. As they squad keeps searching for the right blend of new blood, and veteran leadership ahead of the 2027 World Cup, it’s far too soon to rule anyone out for certain.
After two appearances for the USWNT, Labonta is ready to compete for more appearances.
“I got a taste. Yeah, I want more! Like, I'm going back to the buffet. I want more.”