Professional soccer player Savy King returned to the field for Angel City FC’s home opener, nearly a year after experiencing a life-threatening sudden cardiac arrest during a match. The game on March 13 marked an important milestone in King’s recovery and career.
King said, “It means the absolute world. There’s nothing better than being back out there on the field with my teammates—especially in front of our home fans and the city of L.A. There’s no other feeling like it.”
After collapsing on the field last year, King was stabilized by medical professionals and taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a previously unknown congenital heart condition. She underwent surgery to repair a coronary artery anomaly and participated in months of rehabilitation before returning to play. Rachel Triche, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai and chief medical officer for Angel City FC, coordinated King’s care from the sidelines through her recovery.
“We are really excited to see Savy get back on the field,” Triche said. “We did a lot of careful planning and created a very rigorous return-to-activity process where everything was closely monitored. She’s done incredibly well and has hit—and exceeded—everything we need to see to feel confident about her returning to play.”
During her recovery period, King also had wrist surgery at Cedars-Sinai for an injury she had planned to address prior to her cardiac event. “I had been needing wrist surgery for a long time,” King said. “I had to wait a couple of months until the surgeons felt comfortable with me going under anesthesia again, but the timing ended up working out. My recoveries kind of lined up perfectly.”
Cedars-Sinai has served as Angel City FC’s official health partner since 2022, providing comprehensive care including pre-participation physicals, sideline support during games, specialist coordination, and surgeries when needed. The organizations also collaborate on community initiatives focused on health education and access for women, families, and young athletes.
Located in Los Angeles, California, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was founded in 1902. Its current president is Thomas M. Priselac. The hospital has a pediatric ward and is also a training hospital; according to their 2022 annual report, more than 50,000 patients were admitted that year.
Reflecting on her journey back onto the pitch with support from teammates and medical staff, King said: “I think any medical professional is just incredible. They’re superheroes and deserve more recognition than they get.”
