A New Season: Savy King Returns to the Pitch

For professional soccer player Savy King, returning to the pitch for this season's home opener with Angel City FC means everything. Nearly one year after the defender had life-threatening sudden cardiac arrest on the field, Sunday's game signifies a new chapter.

"It means the absolute world," King said. "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."

A Coordinated Medical Team

After King collapsed on the field last year, on-site medical professionals stabilized her and brought her to Cedars-Sinai, where she was diagnosed with a previously unknown congenital heart condition. Months of intensive medical care and rehabilitation followed.

King had surgery to repair a coronary artery anomaly, then worked through a carefully monitored recovery program that included cardiac rehabilitation and progressive training.

Rachel Triche, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai and chief medical officer for Angel City FC, was on the sidelines the day King collapsed, and helped coordinate her care.

"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, King also underwent a second procedure at Cedars-Sinai-surgery to repair a longstanding wrist injury she had planned to address before her cardiac arrest.

"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."

Now King is free to focus on what she loves most-playing soccer.

"I'm just excited to be back out there and playing with my teammates again," she said.

The 'Team Behind the Team'

Cedars-Sinai has served as the official health partner for Angel City FC since the team's inaugural season in 2022, providing comprehensive care for players on and off the field.

Sports medicine specialists from Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics-ranked among the nation's top orthopedic programs-serve as team doctors.

"As the official medical provider for Angel City FC, we help take care of the athletes from beginning to end," Triche said. "We administer the pre-participation physicals, we're on the sidelines during games, and we coordinate care with specialists when needed. If surgery is required, our orthopedic team can provide that as well."

Cedars-Sinai and Angel City FC also collaborate on community initiatives to improve health education and access for women, families and young athletes. Players make visits to the hospital to meet patients, and the organizations work together to provide on-field experiences for patients and youth soccer clinics across Los Angeles.

For King, returning to the field represents a return to her community, thanks to the support of her teammates, family members and the medical professionals who helped guide her recovery.

"I think any medical professional is just incredible," King said. "They're superheroes and deserve more recognition than they get."

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Hormonal Birth Control Might Reduce Female Athletes' ACL Tears