Savy King plays in 1st game since cardiac event

Savy King returned to action for the first time in over 10 months when she came on as a substitute during Angel City FC‘s win over Chicago Stars FC on Sunday night in Los Angeles.

The 21-year-old had not played since May 9, 2025, when she suffered a cardiac event on the field during a game against the Utah Royals that required her to get open heart surgery.

King jogged onto the field in the 63rd minute to a rousing ovation from the home crowd at BMO Stadium with Angel City leading 2-0. The hosts scored two more times after King came on to win their NWSL season opener 4-0.

“I was super nervous, honestly. But when I got on the pitch I was thinking, ‘I’ve been here before and I’m ready for this,'” King said after the match. “The last 10 months have been crazy for me. A lot of hard work. A lot of perseverance. A lot of blood, sweat and tears that people didn’t see. But I felt as ready as I would ever be in that moment, and I didn’t want to let that fear and me being afraid to play again stop me from what I wanted to do.”

During the summer of 2025, King graduated from cardiac rehab at Cedars Sinai and was cleared to return to Angel City’s training facility for non-contact practice in the fall. This preseason, King was fully cleared for contact and returned to full practice with her Angel City teammates.

In her return to the pitch on Sunday, King was able to play a little over 30 minutes, which she said “means everything,” and added she was humbled by the “Savy King” chants she heard from the Angel City fans.

“Our supporters have been with me throughout this entire thing. And they’ve sent so much love and prayers,” King said. “They’ve definitely helped me so much throughout this recovery. When I felt like I didn’t want to keep going, they were always there to support me and lift me up. To have them here and to be able to play in front of them and show them that I’m OK is just the best feeling in the world.”

A few months after her cardiac event, King created Savy King of Hearts, a nonprofit dedicated to providing CPR awareness, preventive screenings and heart health advocacy.

King was drafted second overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft by Bay FC, making 20 NWSL match appearances in her rookie season and earning two assists in 1,220 minutes on the pitch.

King was traded to Angel City in February of 2025, where she signed a contract extension with the club through 2028. The Los Angeles native started in all seven Angel City matches, playing over 600 minutes for the club, before suffering her cardiac event on the pitch in May.

ESPN’s Charlotte Gibson contributed to this report.