Angel City's Savy King discharged from hospital following heart surgery as NWSL players pay tribute

Angel City defender Savy King has been discharged from the hospital after undergoing successful heart surgery, beginning the next phase of her recovery about a week after a medical event during her team's match against the Utah Royals.

"Savy King was discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center yesterday, May 17, and is home with her family resting comfortably," Angel City said in a statement on Sunday. "On behalf of Angel City FC and Savy's family, we are so grateful for the expert medical care she received by the world-class providers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in consultation with our medical staff. Angel City is prepared to support Savy as she continues her recovery."

King also made her first comments since the medical event, sharing pictures from the hospital and expressing her gratitude for her well-wishers in an Instagram post on Sunday.

"I'm still finding the words to express just how much your love and support have meant to me over these past few days," King wrote. "What I do know is that I wouldn't be getting through this without my incredible family by my side, my amazing teammates who have shown up for me and prayed for me, the fans, the entire soccer community, and the outstanding medical team here at ACFC who saved my life and cared for me every step of the way. I know God's got me and I'm looking forward to recovering and getting back out on the field!"

King collapsed in the second half of Angel City's 2-0 win over the Royals on May 9, and after receiving medical attention on the field for about 10 minutes, she was substituted from the match and subsequently taken to a hospital in the Los Angeles area. The player was later diagnosed with a heart abnormality and underwent successful surgery to correct it on Tuesday.

Many had criticized the NWSL's decision not to abandon the match because of the medical event, including Royals head coach Jimmy Coenraets and U.S. women's national team and Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman, who wrote on Instagram the following day that "in no world should that game have continued."

The NWSL Players Association then advocated for a policy update in which games would be abandoned in the event that a player needed life-saving care like King did.

"If player safety is of paramount importance, then I'm wondering what other factors could possibly be at play in a life-saving situation here," NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said in an interview with Attacking Third. "We're making it too hard. This is a very straightforward decision. Life-saving measures on the field to revive a player or stabilize a player – or coach or referee – the game should stop playing ... and this is the reason that the players are asking for a bright-line rule."

The NWSL eventually admitted on Friday that the match should not have resumed and that their policy has changed going forward.

"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 and we regret that it did," the NWSL said in a statement. "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."

King remained top of mind as Angel City returned to play on Saturday, with her teammates arriving to their match at Bay FC in black shirts that read "SK3," her initials and her number. Bay FC's starters on Saturday also wore those shirts shortly before kickoff.

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman was in attendance for that match, which Bay FC went on to win 2-0, and described King's medical emergency as a learning moment during an exchange with members of the media.

"As we went through that and regrouped internally, we, of course, came to the conclusion that the game should not have continued and that we were committed – and are committed – to ensuring that in a similar situation moving forward that it wouldn't happen again," Berman said Saturday. "Everything that we do, every season gives us an opportunity to learn and do better and that's what we're committed to do going forward."