Savy King is Back
Graphic by Katie Easterson
Savy King returned to the field for Angel City FC’s home opener at BMO Stadium on Sunday, March 14, 2026, after suffering cardiac arrest on the field in 2025. The Angels came prepared to redeem themselves against the Chicago Stars after finishing 11th in the 2025 NWSL season. With the return of their 21-year-old star defender, Savy King, the Angels looked stronger.
King was born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif. and began her soccer career playing for local clubs like Real So Cal and Slammers FC HB Koge. Alberto Bru, club director of Real So Cal said, “Savy always had a joy for playing the game, and she always seemed that she really enjoyed being out there and enjoyed playing.”
Her collegiate career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was short but memorable. She started all 23 games for the Tar Heels in her freshman year and was named All-ACC Second Team and ACC Freshman Team and was a U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year nominee. After a standout freshman season, King declared for the 2024 NWSL Draft and was drafted by Bay FC as the second pick overall.
During King’s first season with Angel City FC, the defender suffered cardiac arrest and spent 238 days in recovery. The 21-year-old defender collapsed on the field in the 74th minute of a regular-season match on May 9, 2025. The field medic team successfully performed CPR, saving her life. After regaining consciousness, King was rushed to the hospital, where she received open-heart surgery. King described feeling “a little bit off” on match day, despite barely recalling what happened afterward. Angel City fans were happy to see her back on the pitch. King spent months in cardiac rehabilitation before she was cleared from the season-ending injury list in February 2026.
King made her return to the pitch on Feb. 15, 2026, playing 30 minutes in a preseason match against the Portland Thorns at the Coachella Valley Invitational. “I think it’s going to be such a big moment for not just me but my family, the club, really everyone that has experienced something really hard in their life,” King told ESPN, “especially a cardiac event.”