NWSL: Game should’ve stopped after King collapse

The National Women’s Soccer League said that it would abandon future games when players have life-threatening emergencies, acknowledging Friday that the game should have ended after Angel City’s Savy King collapsed on the field during a match on May 9.

Play resumed after roughly 10 minutes of medical attention, and the game between Angel City and the Utah Royals was completed. King subsequently underwent surgery for a heart abnormality discovered after her collapse.

The NWSL Players Association said this week that the game should not have continued, and the union called for future games to be abandoned because of medical emergencies.

“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 night should not have continued,” the NWSL said in a statement issued to ESPN on Friday. “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.”

In a later statement posted on social media, the league added that it “regret” that the game continued.

The players’ association welcomed the league’s announcement.

“The League’s acknowledgment that the game should have ended — and its commitment to adopting protocol for the future, should it ever be needed — represents a meaningful step forward,” it said in a statement. “It’s a change made possible by the strength and unity of our players.

“Player safety is not a slogan. It is a practice. We are grateful that NWSL has listened.”

King collapsed with about 15 minutes left in the game on May 9. The 20-year-old was carted off the field and taken to a hospital in Los Angeles, where Angel City said at the time that she was responsive.

Angel City interim coach Sam Laity said Friday it had been a challenging week for the team, but he was grateful for the medical professionals who treated King and all those from around the league who reached out in support.

“I think everybody’s very relieved to hear that Savy’s surgery was successful and the outlook for the future is very positive,” he said.

“And in terms of the game continuing, I agree with the statements that the league recently made, and they’re working to ensure that this type of situation is dealt with in a different fashion moving forward.”

Doctors discovered a heart abnormality and performed surgery on the Angel City defender last Tuesday. The club, league, players’ association and family asked in separate statements that King’s privacy be respected.

Players from both Angel City FC and Utah Royals FC were visibly shaken as King received medical attention on the pitch last Friday. After the match, players from both teams locked arms at the center circle of the field in prayer for King.

Angel City forward Christen Press, who scored the winning goal in the 2-0 victory, called it “a really emotional game” after the match. “That’s really all I can think about right now.”

Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who has been sidelined with a back injury, weighed in on Instagram.

“Prayers for Savy King as well as her loved ones and the players that were on that field. In no world should that game have continued,” Rodman wrote.

King was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NWSL draft after playing one season at North Carolina. She was traded from Bay FC to Angel City, her hometown NWSL team, in the offseason.