Three Kansas City Current players named to NWSL August Best XI of the month, presented by Mastercard

For the third straight month, and fourth time this season, the Kansas City Current are well represented on the NWSL Best XI of the Month, presented by Mastercard. This month the Current boast three players on the prestigious roster, goalkeeper AD Franch, midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta and forward Kristen Hamilton. 

No surprise here 👏

Congratulations @khamilton17, @ADizzle23 & @L0momma on being named to the @NWSL’s August Best XI 💐#KCBABY pic.twitter.com/jf9LHaCxs1

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) August 31, 2023

AD Franch – Franch led the way in August with two wins and a draw in three starts across all competitions. Under her watch, the Current defense played 247 minutes without giving up a score and only allowed one total goal throughout the month. She posted an 85.7 save percentage with six crucial saves, including her penalty save against OL Reign August 18 that helped to preserve the win for the Current. 

Lo’eau LaBonta – It is no coincidence that LaBonta’s return from injury coincided with the Current’s return to form. She started all three matches for Kansas City, providing a calming influence for the Current midfield and helping to shape an attack that scored five goals in August. She completed 108 of her 134 passes (81 percent) across three matches for the Kansas City Current and scored her first goal of the season in a draw against the Houston Dash. LaBonta capped the month off with a screamer of a shot from five yards outside of the penalty box that gave Kansas City the initial lead on the road against Houston August 26. 

Kristen Hamilton – Hamilton had a record-breaking August, both for the club and the NWSL. Kicking off the month with a bang, Hamilton scored a brace against Racing Louisville. Those two goals broke her own club record for most goals scored in a Challenge Cup season (5) and tied the all-time NWSL career-record for goals (12), a record she now shares with teammate Debinha. 

Mastercard and the NWSL launched the Best XI of the Month awards platform with the First Team and Second Team honors for the 22 top players of the league after the 2021 season. Mastercard believes that our world is full of brilliant possibilities and unlocking the potential in every person across all parts of their life is what Priceless is all about. The development of the Best XI is a further commitment from the company to connect NWSL fans to the league and the athletes they love.

The NWSL Best XI of the Month is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis, and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent. The full Best XI for August is below:

GK: AD Franch (Kansas City Current)
DEF: Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Kylie Strom (Orlando Pride)
MF: Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Lo’eau LaBonta (Kansas City Current)
F: Messiah Bright (Orlando Pride), Kristen Hamilton (Kansas City Current), Morgan Weaver (Portland Thorns)