There’s been a heavy weight on the hearts of NWSL fans these past few days. Unfortunate events unfolded during Angel City’s Matchday 8 clash against the Utah Royals on Friday, as star player Savy King collapsed on the pitch mid-game. Play was halted for over 10 minutes before the center-back was sadly carted off, leaving the entire soccer community on edge. However, days later, at last, there’s a sense of relief, as both Angel City and King’s family members have shared a much-needed—and rather positive—health update regarding her condition.
ACFC won the game 2-0, but of course, at the cost of their player enduring an unexpected medical emergency. Having been treated by nine paramedics, an AED was brought and CPR was administered to the youngster. The post-game did see the Los Angeles-based club state that the 20-year-old had regained consciousness. Even acting head coach Eleri Earnshaw assured fans that King was in “good hands.”
But now there’s a rather detailed update regarding her health. Having been admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Saturday morning, it was found that Savy was required to undergo a crucial heart surgery, which was completed successfully. “After thorough evaluation, doctors discovered a heart abnormality and Savy underwent successful surgery today to address it. She is now resting and recovering surrounded by her family, and her prognosis is excellent,” said Angel City in a statement.
Statements by Angel City FC and the Family of Savy King. pic.twitter.com/4qskjZtTpq
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) May 14, 2025
The NWSL club expressed their heartfelt appreciation for providing their highly-rated starlet with top-tier medical assistance. Furthermore, a special shoutout was given to ardent fans, who gave an outpouring amount of love and support to King, before respectfully urging continued privacy for the 20-year-old as she concentrates fully on her recovery.
Likewise, Savy’s family also shared a relieving statement, thanking the club, medical professionals, as well players, and fans for rallying for the Santa Monica, California native. “We are blessed to share Savy is recovering well and we are looking forward to having her home with us soon.”
“It’s during times like these that we’re reminded of God’s unwavering presence and protection. We’re truly grateful to everyone who has kept Savy in their prayers,” the statement concluded, making it evident that there’s nothing more to worry about Savy. This positive update couldn’t have been shared at a better time, as it seems to have taken a big load off the chest of the entire NWSL community.
NWSL community celebrates the positive update surrounding Savy King
As soon as the statement hit the internet, fans were overjoyed to hear that Savy King was out of danger. Many users on Reddit even turned the positive update into an extensive discussion, touching on various related topics.
We recall that the moment after this incident transpired, all the 19,000 fans at BMO Stadium were in utter shock to see all such incidents being transpired. Hardly anyone had words to even describe what happened suddenly which saw King not being able to play anymore and get treated for so long, that too, by so many medical professionals. As serious it couldn’t have been, good thing is that she is safe and sound:
“This is such great news! Rooting for your recovery, Savy. I dont think I’m the only one who can breathe easier now.”
20—doesn’t it sound surprising to hear people at this age getting heart surgeries? Sure, pardon the exceptions but this incident is rather a stark reminder of how seriously people should take accountability for their health. If a person so athletic can undergo such complications, imagine how many precautions common people would be required to take:
“Sheesh. She’s so young and fit and wasn’t really running super hard in that moment. That’s scary but glad she was in the presence of the best medical help possible.”
Credits: Instagram/Angel City
Speaking of age, doctors discovering some heart irregularities in King only makes the issue more surprising. It is true that there’s no age to have any specific diseases. Yet, don’t you find it surprising that the situation escalated so quickly for King that she was forced to go through a successful surgery? No wonder this fan has a theory:
“To me, this sounds like it may have been something like an underlying/existing irregular heart rhythm that caused an acute cardiac event, they went in, ablated the area causing the irregularity. I wouldn’t say that’s common but it isn’t exactly rare either and there’s a good chance it doesn’t have to be life-limiting or career-limiting. Either way, excellent to hear that she’s recovering and well!”
While others were completely scared after hearing about Savy King’s condition, this fan subtly calls the entire incident a blessing in disguise. Falling on the pitch, that too, at a place that had access to the best medical amenities. Not to mention that being able to diagnose this problem at such an early age only helps King to remain cautious of what may lie ahead:
“Honestly, it was the absolute best place for her to collapse – on the field, surrounded by top-notch medical people who could respond asap and take care of her and get her an AED and to the hospital. Is it any less scary what happened? Of course not. But I’m glad they found the issue and hopefully she can have an easy and quick recovery and get back to being her best self.”
In the end, after everything, the best part is that Savy King is fine. And thanks to a better clarification from Angel City, fans were also able to let of any kind of fake narratives that had been flying surrounding the young defender. For this fan, that day was something else as not only did this Reddit user witness the event live but seeing King receive compressions and get carted off has only made this person’s trauma quite serious. Yet, this is the least of concern as a good thing is that Savy is good:
“So relieved to hear an update and that she’s recovering with family. I’ve been thinking about it nonstop since the game on Friday. I couldn’t shake it and my thoughts kept compounding because Angel City went dark on socials. They’ve literally NEVER gone more than half a day without posting on some medium.”
This is just a glimpse of messages that the Reddit community has been discussing. Well, just like others, even we are pleased to hear such a thoughtful update regarding Savy King.
The post NWSL Community Breathes Sigh of Relief After Angel City Clears Air on Savy King’s Health Status: “So Relieved” appeared first on EssentiallySports.
