There was a scary moment on Friday night for both Angel City FC and the NWSL league as a whole. In the 74th minute, defender Savy King collapsed on the field while Angel City was playing the Utah Royals.
The medical staff could be seen using an oxygen mask and doing chest compressions on the 20-year-old. The game was delayed for nearly 10 minutes. She was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. After several tests, it was discovered she had a heart abnormality and underwent surgery to address the situation.
Angel City released a statement in regards to her recovery. “She is now resting and recovering surrounded by her family, and her prognosis is excellent,” Angel City said.
Angel City was up 1-0 and after the delay would go onto the win the game 2-0 after young star Alyssa Thompson provided another goal in stoppage time.
The question for several NWSL players and coaches though was should the game of continued after King was taken off. The Players Association has recently called upon the NWSL to suspend any match that requires life-saving measures to a player during the match.
Savy King was the second NWSL player this season to collapse during a game
Racing Louisville's Savannah Demelo also fell to her knees during an early season match after experiencing dizziness and light headedness.
The league should continue to look at issues that may into play for these players as to why it has happened. Both incidents were jarring for players on the field, and it would not be hard to imagine why players would have difficulty in continuing the match.
In 2022, the NFL called off a game and took it off the books after cornerback Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills suffered cardiac arrest and was revived on the field. Players for both teams were visibly and understandably shaken on the field, and the game was cancelled.
Now the NWSL may be looking at such measures in the future. Said, the Players' Association in a statement, "Incidents of this severity must prioritize our collective humanity and should automatically trigger suspension of the match."
King is currently recovering with her family and the surgery was successful. As the league looks to address such issues in the future it seems now, they will have to listen to the players on the field as they look for change to address not only why the incident happened but the players who witness such an event on the field have the support they need.