BFFR with Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley

Episode: Savy King Shares Health Update, Angel City Comeback & Unreleased BFFR Interview
Date: September 29, 2025
Guests: Savvy King
Hosts: Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley

Episode Overview

This episode features Angel City defender Savvy King, who returns after a health scare and shares an update about her heart surgery and recovery. The team reflects on Savvy’s journey, her comeback ambitions, family support, and what it means to be a young pro in 2025. Between laughter and honest moments, Savvy’s resilience, her tight-knit family, and the generational connections on the team shine through.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Savvy King’s Health Update and Comeback

• Surgery & Recovery: Savvy details her journey after a sudden heart surgery in early May, including her extended stay in cardiac rehab and how that “loss of independence” was one of the toughest parts.
  • “After the surgery, when I got released to go home, like, I couldn’t drive. I could barely, like, roll my bed. I had to sleep…with my...like this, and I had to have a pillow, and I couldn’t really walk that fast or that well. It took…I had to, like, re-walk again to get used to it.” – Savy King [03:54]
• Returning to the Field: Now back in full-time rehab and training with Angel City FC. Training partner: Claire Emsley.
  • “It’s going to be Claire and Savvy 2.0 on the field next season. So that’s really exciting.” – Savy King [02:59]
• Support System: Credits her family and teammates for their unwavering encouragement throughout her recovery.

2. Family Strength and Support

• Moms in Action: Savvy’s mothers were fiercely supportive throughout, with Kim even riding in the ambulance with her. The experience revealed new depths to their strength.
  • “I knew that they were strong, but that was…I mean, I couldn’t imagine it. Being a parent and having to watch your kid go through that.” – Savy King [06:42]
  • “My mom was with me every day in the hospital…they were just there…every day, every night in the hospital. And I mean, it really helped me so much and they were just so strong throughout this entire process.” – Savy King [07:17]
• Sibling Bond: Savvy shares stories about her twin brother, Parker, and how their academic and sporting paths have paralleled and occasionally intersected competitively.

3. Being 20 in 2025

• Navigating Adulthood: Savvy talks candidly about modern adulthood, technology, college, and balancing soccer with online classes in nutrition and psychology.
  • “I’m only a couple months into being 20, but, you know, I’m not a teenager anymore, so I feel more like an adult...may not look like it...” – Savy King [11:06]
• Generation Gaps: Hilarious contrasts between Savvy’s tech upbringing and the hosts’ pre-Internet childhoods highlight both generational differences and shared ground on sport, family, and ambition.
  • “Do you know what like Internet dial up sounds like, like—”
    “No, you’re lucky.” – Hosts & Savy King [20:42]

4. Growing Up: Family, Social Media, and Sports

• Family Dynamic: Savvy describes family dinners, being a twin, and what it was like growing up with two moms.
  • “Growing up, I knew no different. Didn’t think literally anything of it ever. Everyone was always so...just normal, welcoming, which is awesome that it’s become something so, like, regular now...” – Savy King [25:03]
• First Sports: Traces her soccer roots back to competitive games with her brother and even early flag football prowess.
  • “When I was five, I played flag football with my brother. And my parents used to say that, like, all the parents of the other boys would come watch me play because I was, of course, pretty good.” – Savy King [14:52]
• Sibling Rivalry: Delightful anecdote of outracing her twin brother in a legendary mixed-gender high school 4x400m relay.
  • “Right before we hit the finish line, I got him... People were talking about it for a little bit...” – Savy King [29:45]

5. Navigating Fame and the Pro Path

• Pro Soccer at Home: Savvy describes the surreal feeling of playing for Angel City in her hometown at such a young age and the evolving pathways into pro soccer for young women.
  • “Being this young—no, I never thought it was possible. But, I mean, especially to be back home in LA, where it all started, where I started playing soccer. And… I drive the same route to practice that I did to high school.” – Savy King [30:30]
• National Team Experience: Savvy reflects on her intimidating, amazing first senior USWNT camp.
  • “Everyone was so welcoming and so supportive... it made the experience so much better. And it’s just awesome because it’s like these players you look up to all the time and that I’ve watched on TV for years is just like, wow, like, we’re in the same locker room.” – Savy King [32:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’d never want my kids to be iPad kids or on their phone.” – Savy King [22:34]
• “My email was caramel baby underscore hotmail.com.” – Sid [19:35]
• “We were not allowed, like, phones when I was in elementary school. But because my parents wanted us to be safe…we had like a little flip phone. All you could do was call.” – Savvy King [22:11]
• “Probably my mom. My brother would probably be like, what are you wearing?” (on getting a cute photo) – Savvy King [27:03]
• “You were my favorite player for the longest time because I was a forward too…Which is just a crazy full circle moment.” – Savy King to Sid [30:30]

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Savvy’s Health Update & Return: [00:00]–[08:39]
• Family Courage & Recovery Reflections: [03:54]–[08:12]
• Being 20 & Navigating Adult Life: [11:06]–[13:08]
• Growing Up with a Twin & Early Sports: [12:31]–[14:56]
• Flag Football Stories: [13:36]–[14:45]
• Sibling Rivalry Track Story: [27:57]–[30:13]
• Local Pro Experience, Pathways, and National Team: [30:28]–[33:53]
• Family Support and Comedic Banter: Throughout, esp. [25:03]–[26:07], [27:03]

Tone and Style

Light-hearted, open, and occasionally irreverent—the hosts and guest weave between honest reflection, supportive seriousness, and playful teasing, making the conversation relatable and deeply human.

Summary

For listeners, this episode is both a catch-up with Savvy King’s inspiring comeback story and a window into the camaraderie and intergenerational bonds that define Angel City FC and women’s soccer right now. From heartfelt moments about family support to laugh-out-loud tales of Internet nostalgia, it's a blend of resilience, gratitude, and pure joy at being back on the field—living, loving, and, as always, being for real.