NWSL admits game should've stopped after Savy King collapse - ESPN

The National Women's Soccer League said that it would abandon future games featuring life-threatening emergencies to players, acknowledging Friday that the game should have ended after Angel City's Savy King collapsed on the field during a match on May 9.

Play resumed after roughly 10 minutes of medical attention, and the game between Angel City and the Utah Royals was completed. King subsequently underwent surgery for a heart abnormality discovered following her collapse.

The NWSL Players Association said this week that the game should not have continued, and the union called for future games to be abandoned due to medical emergencies.

«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,» the NWSL said in a statement issued to ESPN on Friday. «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 collapsed with about 15 minutes left in the game on May 9. The 20-year-old was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital in Los Angeles, where Angel City said at the time that she was responsive.

Angel City said on Tuesday that King's «prognosis is excellent» after «doctors discovered a heart abnormality» and conducted surgery. The club, league, PA and family asked in separate statements that King's privacy be respected.

Players from both Angel City FC and Utah Royals FC were visibly shaken as King received medical attention. After the match, players from both teams locked arms at the center circle of the field in prayer for King.

«In those moments, I'm not sure if we