Angel City defender Savy King returned to soccer for the first time in 283 days on Sunday. The 21-year-old started and played 30 minutes in Angel City’s 2-1 preseason friendly defeat to the Portland Thorns at the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, Calif.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for the last nine months, and so to be back out there with my girls is just the best feeling in the world,” King said. “My teammates have been so supportive throughout this entire process, and my family is here, so it just felt amazing to be back out on the field.”
The last time King was seen on a soccer pitch was when she suffered a cardiac incident on May 9, 2025, during the second half of Angel City’s 2-0 home win over the Utah Royals at BMO Stadium.
That night, King went down in the 74th minute and received medical attention on the field that saved her life. She was then taken off the field via a cart and transported by emergency medical services to a nearby hospital in Los Angeles. King would later learn that she was born with an anomalous left coronary artery.
Despite both sets of players looking visibly shaken by the incident, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) opted not to abandon the game. After a lengthy stoppage of around 10 minutes, the game was eventually concluded. After the final whistle, a prayer circle between both teams was held with some players brought to tears.
The May 9 incident shook the league and prompted change in how it deals with such medical situations. (Harry How / NWSL via Getty Images)
This decision, that ultimately fell on the shoulders of the league and commissioner Jess Berman, came under scrutiny. Both teams admitted they would have been content with the game being abandoned after King went down.
“In those moments, I’m not sure if we should have continued the game,” Royals head coach Jimmy Coenrates said. “You’re emotionally — not only them but also our players were just scared. That’s not the right situation to be in but in the end, we played on. That’s the decision other people have taken, which is fine. It was a really tough moment.”
The NWSL Players Association praised the swift response of the medical team but also felt that the game should have been abandoned.
“While the medical response demonstrated the highest level of competence and care, the decision to continue play demonstrated how player safety is weighed and operationalized in real time,” said the NWSLPA via a statement.
“Incidents of this severity must prioritize our collective humanity and should automatically trigger suspension of the game. The Players Association is committed to making this the standard in NWSL.”
By the end of the 2025 season, the NWSL showed that it had revised its protocol in the wake of King’s medical emergency. A game between the Seattle Reign and Racing Louisville was abandoned in the first half after Savannah DeMelo was also required to leave the game due to a medical emergency on September 15, 2025.
In November, King made a public appearance at the 2025 NWSL awards in San Jose, Calif., alongside the medical team that treated her on May 9. She announced the creation of her new heart health advocacy nonprofit, Savy King of Hearts, which is raising awareness for the importance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure (CPR) and preventive heart screenings. In addition, her nonprofit will provide free CPR training to all 16 NWSL teams.
“I just want to take a second to thank my medical staff. Sarah (Smith) and Holly (Walusz), I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you for what you’ve done for me. You didn’t just give me a second chance at life, you inspired me to use what happened to make a difference and save lives,” King said on stage in San Jose.
King could make her first official NWSL appearance since her cardiac emergency when Angel City’s 2026 season kicks off against the Chicago Stars at BMO Stadium on March 15.