Angel City’s Savy King taken to hospital after collapsing on field vs. Utah

Angel City defender Savy King collapsed on the field and medical staff appeared to do chest compressions on her before she was carted off during a 2-0 win over Utah at BMO Stadium on Friday night.

The NWSL released a statement Saturday saying King was hospitalized in stable condition after a “medical event” occurred during the game. King will undergo further evaluation and tests. No other details were released.

Angel City assistant coach Eleri Earnshaw told reporters after the match that King was transported to a Los Angeles hospital, evaluated and is responsive.

“Her family is with her, as is our medical staff, so she’s in good hands,” Earnshaw said.

The NWSL said in its statement that “we are grateful to the Angel City medical staff as well as to local paramedics who handled this difficult situation seamlessly.”

Players were visibly shaken as trainers rushed to King’s side after she went down in the 74th minute. She was attended to for roughly 10 minutes before she was taken off the field.

Utah’s Alex Loera prays with players after Angel City defender Savy King collapsed on the field during Friday’s game at BMO Stadium.

(Luiza Moraes / NWSL via Getty Images)

Both teams gathered in a circle on the field after the match to pray for King, and teams throughout the NWSL, along with the league office, offered support for King via their social media channels.

“From my recollection, it was one of the Utah players [Alex Loera] who suggested that we get together and some people pray, some people share their energy, but just to show unity in that moment, in support of Savy without knowing the update at that time,” Earnshaw said. “It’s a scary situation to be in, and at that point, it’s much bigger than football. I am really grateful to her for doing that.”

King, 20, was the second overall pick in the 2024 NWSL draft by expansion Bay FC and played 18 games for the club. She was traded to Angel City in February and has started in all eight games this season.

Christen Press came off the bench in place of Claire Emslie in the 65th minute. Twenty-five seconds after stepping onto the field, Press outfoxed Madison Pogarch, then curled the ball into the top left corner of the goal. Alyssa Thompson scored in second-half stoppage time.

“It was Alanna [Kennedy] who played it to me then I was on the endline,” Press said. “I saw that my team put in so many crosses and there were so many numbers in the box. It’s almost a fairy tale. That stuff often happens in your head and it doesn’t get pulled off, so I was super excited about that.”

It was the first shutout of the season for Angel City (4-2-2).

Utah (1-6-1) has lost six of its last seven matches.

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