Lo LaBonta: A USWNT call-up a decade in the making
Full Time with Meg Linehan: A show about women's soccer
The Athletic
4.8 • 756 Ratings
🗓️ 23 May 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After a decade in the NWSL, Kansas City Current midfielder Lo LaBonta has earned her first-ever call-up to the USWNT. On this week's Full Time Focus, the self proclaimed "5-foot fireball" caught up with Meg Linehan to talk about her emotions as she reacted to the long-awaited call, and the rare feeling of being a rookie once again.
PLUS: Host Jillian Sakovits is joined by Sports Illustrated contributor Jenna Tonnelli to discuss the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup final that will see UANL Tigres take on NJ/NY Gotham FC. After lots of roster turnover, a couple of cup final defeats and a nail-biting playoff exit last season, what would lifting a continental trophy mean to Gotham? And, will this tournament tell us which league is stronger between LigaMX Femenil and NWSL?
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Referenced on the show:
USWNT roster: Naomi Girma returns, Lo’eau LaBonta debuts, Korbin Albert absent
Gotham, Tigres advance to Concacaf W Champions Cup Final
Leah Williamson, Arsenal, and juggling the emotions of playing in a final for the club you support
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUESTS: Lo LaBonta, Meg Lineha, Jenna Tonnelli
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Get in touch: [email protected]
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Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here
Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everybody. |
| 0:14.3 | Happy Friday. |
| 0:15.2 | It is Jillian Sackavit. |
| 0:16.5 | So that means welcome to full-time focus. |
| 0:18.6 | It is presented by Amazon business. |
| 0:21.1 | What a show we have for you today. |
| 0:22.8 | We'll have an excerpt from Meg Linnehan. |
| 0:24.5 | Sit down with the Kansas City current midfielder. |
| 0:27.6 | Yes, Lola Banta, finally getting the call up to the U.S. women's national team at 32 years old. |
| 0:34.6 | And then we'll welcome our very special guest, Jenna Tonelli, on the show, |
| 0:37.8 | to look ahead to Saturday's Concaf W Champions Cup, the final between Tigrace and Gotham FC. Let's get into it. |
| 0:50.8 | Let's talk about LoLabanta, a fan favorite, reliable player and arguably the best celebrator in the NWSL, but has been missing that U.S. Women's National Team tag to her name. |
| 1:06.6 | Well, that all could be changing. Should she play for the U.S. women's national team? |
| 1:11.5 | She would be the oldest. |
| 1:12.9 | I'm going to say, I'm going to change that and say the most veteran U.S. women's national team player to debut for the national team. |
| 1:20.6 | And Lo Labanta has been a mainstay name in the league. |
| 1:25.0 | Let's take a look back at what Labanta has accomplished. She's an NCAA national |
| 1:30.2 | champion in 2011 with Stanford, 37th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL college draft, and then |
| 1:37.7 | 2022, a best 11 player with her Kansas City squad. That was the year that they would go on to fall |
| 1:43.6 | in the final to Portland in the NWSL |
| 1:46.0 | championship game. |
| 1:47.6 | Now, fast forward to 2025. |
... |
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