Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the pitch during an NWSL match against the Seattle Reign on Sunday, with the late first-half medical event causing the teams to postpone the remainder of the game.
Cameras quickly cut away as trainers and medical personnel rushed to DeMelo's side and players cleared the field for an early halftime, with both sides soon announcing they were abandoning the then-scoreless match as an ambulance took DeMelo to a local hospital.
Racing later notified fans via social media that DeMelo was "stable and alert," while several reporters noted that the 27-year-old recently received a diagnosis of Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism — conditions that can cause an irregular or rapid heartbeat.
"I'm lucky to have my family with me while I'm waiting for test results to come back," DeMelo said in a club statement late Monday. "I'm extremely thankful to our whole medical staff for the quick response. They've been with me every step of the way."
NWSL decision to postpone play addresses past criticisms
DeMelo's situation is the second major medical event this NWSL season, following the mid-match collapse of Angel City defender Savy King in May.
At that time, the NWSL opted to continue play after an ambulance transported King off the pitch — a decision that the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) heavily criticized.
In the aftermath of that match, league commissioner Jessica Berman promised that games would not continue in any similar future situations — a shift reflected in the halting of Sunday's clash.
"Postponing the match was the right decision, as nothing is more important than the safety of players and staff on the field," the NWSLPA wrote on Monday. "This is a challenging time for all those affected, and we ask for continued respect of everyone's privacy."
"We recognize the concern this incident may cause, particularly in light of recent conversations around player safety," the league said in a statement. "The NWSL remains committed to ensuring that the highest standards of medical care and emergency response are in place at every match."
Beginning with second-half play, the conclusion of the currently 0-0 match between Racing Louisville and the Seattle Reign will be played without fans at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, though the game will be available to stream live on Paramount+ and NWSL+.
The NWSL quietly updated its heat delay policy this week, after extreme temperatures delayed the August 16th match between the Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride — causing ongoing controversy.
According to The Guardian, the league's rules and regulations now omit a previously instated clause allowing on-site staff the discretion to stop the match when temperatures rise to one degree below the official delay threshold of 92.3°F.
The NWSL Players Association later stated that the NWSL did not seek approval or even make the athletes union aware of the rule change.
The specific discretionary scenario occurred amid the many delays in Kansas City on August 16th, with staff attributing a brief temperature dip below the official threshold to a cloud passing overhead.
Minutes later, the temperature reading rose more than three degrees above the 92.3°F barrier — justifying the on-site officials' call to wait for a second reading instead of immediately calling for the match to begin.
Calling it a break in protocol, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman reportedly threatened to fine the Current after that decision process caused the teams to miss their national CBS broadcast slot.
Player safety concerns lie at the heart of the rift, with the heat delay saga becoming just the latest in a series of NWSL protocol issues dating back to the handling of Angel City defender Savy King's mid-match medical event in May.
"It was too hot to play… and there's a lot of confusion and lack of communication as well on what the next steps were," Orlando head coach Sebastian Hines said after the 0-0 draw. "It's brutal, three o'clock, sun's beaming. We have to have the best interest for everyone who's involved here at the stadium."
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."
The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) is advocating for an immediate change in protocol in the name of player safety, with the union voicing concerns about the handling of Angel City defender Savy King's mid-match medical event last Friday.
Following current league guidelines, the game between the LA club and the Utah Royals resumed play on Friday, picking up where they left off after King's on-pitch collapse required nearly 10 minutes of life-saving intervention from medical staff.
Amid a crowd of visibly distressed players and coaches, paramedics rushed King to an area hospital, with the 20-year-old later undergoing successful surgery to fix a previously undetected heart abnormality.
"These moments demand humanity, sound judgment, and restraint," the NWSLPA posted on Wednesday. "Any medical emergency that requires the administration of life-saving care should bring play to an end. The match should not have continued."
"Our members are elite, world-class competitors who have proven they can perform under unimaginable conditions. That does not mean they should have to," the statement continued.
"Incidents of this severity must prioritize our collective humanity and should automatically trigger suspension of the match. The Players Association is committed to making this the standard in [the] NWSL."
NWSL player safety again takes center-pitch
As the NWSL braces for rapid expansion, the NWSLPA remains laser-focused on ensuring player safety never takes a backseat, both on and off the field.
That priority was mirrored in the league's own Wednesday post.
Shortly before the NWSLPA's statement hit feeds, the NWSL issued its own statement, saying "Player Safety is paramount to the NWSL. The seriousness of this incident requires a deliberate process that is careful and methodical. That process is underway and will include necessary revisions that prioritize the consideration of player, staff, and fan well-being."
The lack of an instant protocol change doesn't sit well with NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke.
After reviewing the league's post, Burke told Front Office Sports "The reality is these decisions are made in real time. A decision needed to be made last Friday night.... Five days later, they still [haven't] decided whether or not this game should have been suspended."
"This is a human issue. The right thing to do was to call this game. It doesn't take this long to realize that."
Kansas City, Orlando, and Washington are back on top of the NWSL table, restoring their dominance with key weekend results after a series of shaky matchdays.
Anchored by a brace from Debinha, the No. 1 Current halted a two-game losing streak with a 4-1 drubbing of Bay FC on Sunday. Meanwhile, the No. 3 Spirit stopped their two-match skid with a 3-2 Saturday win over No. 14 Chicago.
The No. 2 Pride narrowly avoided their own second straight loss on Saturday, securing a 1-1 draw with No. 11 North Carolina behind Prisca Chilufya's last-gasp second-half stoppage time goal.
No. 5 Angel City's 2-0 win over No. 13 Utah captured the weekend's headlines, however, after the Friday match played to completion despite 20-year-old LA defender Savy King collapsing on the pitch in the 85th minute.
"Savy left the field in stable condition, and currently remains stable and will be undergoing further evaluation," the NWSL posted after the match.
In response to criticism about the game resuming at all, the NWSL added that the match followed "league protocols...from both a medical and game operations perspective."
"I'm not sure if we should have continued the game," Royals head coach Jimmy Coenraets told reporters after the match. "Not only [Angel City's athletes], but also our players were just scared, and I think that's not the right position, not the right situation to be in."
While the on-pitch NWSL results this weekend appeared to steady upheaval in the standings, the spotlight shown brightest on concerns over league policy clashing with player safety.