NWSL Says Recent Game Should Not Have Continued After Player Collapsed on Field

A scary moment interrupted a game in Los Angeles last Friday.

Medical personnel attend to Savy King on May 9. / Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

An NWSL game last Friday between the Utah Royals and Angel City should not have continued after a player's on-field collapse, the league said Friday morning.

Savy King, a 20-year-old Angel City defender, collapsed in the 74th minute and immediately received treatment. King wound up needing heart surgery after doctors discovered an abnormality while treating her.

"Having reviewed our protocols and how they were implemented, and in listening to feedback from our stakeholders, the Angel City vs. Utah game last Friday should not have continued and we regret that it did," the league said. "The health and well-being of the entire NWSL community remains our top priority, and in any similar situation going forward the game should and would be abandoned.

Angel City led 1–0 when the game was paused, and came away with a 2–0 win.

King's collapse comes amid increased scrutiny of in-game cardiac events in sports after the Jan. 2023 collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, whose entry into cardiac arrest led to the cancellation of the Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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