Angel City FC's Savy King opened up for the first time about her on-field collapse at a May NWSL match, with the defender stating this week that she's targeting a full recovery and return to play.
Speaking to Good Morning America on Wednesday, King admitted that she doesn't remember much about the May 9th incident.
"I remember that I wasn't feeling right, and I grabbed my leg because I was trying to distract myself from the fact that I was going to pass out," the 20-year-old said.
Team medical staff ended up resuscitating King on the pitch, with the Angel City trainers quickly stabilizing her before transporting her to a local hospital.
Suffering what was essentially a heart attack, despite "never [having] any medical history of anything with [her] heart," King later discovered she'd been born with an anomalous left coronary artery.
Surgeons corrected the congenital abnormality, putting King on the road to recovery — and an eventual return to the Angel City pitch.
"Every time I see soccer, I want to play. It's obviously so hard to just watch and not be able to play," said King. "I was just so happy that I was going to be able to recover and be as normal, almost be like a Savy 2.0 now."
"I'll be back, and I'll be better than ever," she promised.
While King didn't lay out a timeline for her return, she credited ACFC's medical team for their prompt response after she lost consciousness.
"They saved my life," the young Angel City star stated. "That will stay with me forever in my heart...they [are] a huge reason why I'm here. I play for them now, too."