The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) is urging the league to implement a clear, non-negotiable rule regarding match stoppages in response to the recent medical incident involving Angel City FC`s Savy King. The 20-year-old defender collapsed during a game against the Utah Royals and has since had successful heart surgery, according to the club and King`s family.
The event happened in the 78th minute. After King was taken off the field on a stretcher, the league did not stop the game. The NWSL has been criticized for how it managed the emergency ahead of the week nine schedule. An initial statement from the league on Saturday sent best wishes to King, commended the medical staff, and claimed all game protocols were followed.
Part of the statement read: “League protocols were followed from both a medical and game operations perspective. We are grateful to the Angel City medical staff as well as to local paramedics who handled this difficult situation seamlessly.”
Sources familiar with the situation indicate the NWSL plans to change its policy. This comes after the NWSL Players Association issued a statement on Wednesday demanding a review of the league`s game postponement rules.
Speaking to Attacking Third, NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke elaborated on the union`s call for a “bright-line rule.” This rule would be a clear, unambiguous standard to follow if a medical emergency occurs during a future game, aiming to simplify decisions and prevent disagreements.
Burke stated: “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. 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 league later publicly confirmed that the game should not have continued, telling The Athletic: “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.”
It added: “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 is in her second pro season, having turned pro after attending the University of North Carolina. She was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft by Bay FC but became a key defender for Angel City after an offseason trade.
As she recovers, the incident has led to renewed demands within women`s soccer for the league to make player safety a top priority and create clearer emergency procedures.
King`s medical emergency highlights a worrying trend in college and professional sports. Other examples include NBA player Bronny James` cardiac episode while at USC, Christian Eriksen of Denmark`s cardiac arrest during the 2022 UEFA Euros in 2021, and the NFL`s Damar Hamlin`s similar medical emergency during a Buffalo Bills game.
The responses to the Eriksen and Hamlin incidents differed. Eriksen`s match resumed later that evening after he was hospitalized, following a request from both teams. The NFL postponed and eventually canceled the Bills` Monday night game after discussions with the league, both teams, and the players union.
Although cardiac emergencies during games are becoming more frequent, each situation is unique. Burke argues that King`s case was serious enough to warrant stopping the game, not just for King`s health but for everyone involved. She believes continuing the game was wrong and that, despite different outcomes in other pro sports incidents, the league and the PA should aim for the correct response.
Burke added: “[A bright line rule] would be consistent with what we`re hearing across the industry when you look at the Damar Hamlin situation, which, to be clear, is a different medical situation. But even the NFL, which is probably the biggest moneymaker in all pro sports, stopped because it was the right thing to do.
We`re human beings, and this is a simple matter of humanity. We are looking for decisiveness. The decision should have been made Friday night. In the days that followed, there was an opportunity to make a decision. We`re still hand-wringing about what`s the right call, and for us this is very clear and very simple.”
