Savannah DeMelo update: Seattle Reign vs. Racing Louisville to resume Tuesday after midfielder’s medical event

Racing Louisville’s game at the Seattle Reign will resume Tuesday behind closed doors after the match was suspended at halftime Sunday after a medical event involving Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo.

DeMelo is stable and alert after she collapsed at the end of the first half, when she received medical treatment before she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. The match was abandoned soon afterward and will pick up from where it left off Tuesday at the Reign’s home of Lumen Field. The goalless game will resume at 8 p.m. ET and stream on Paramount+ and NWSL+, though fans will not be in attendance.

Savannah DeMelo ‘stable and alert’ after collapse as Racing Louisville match vs. Seattle Reign suspended

Roger Gonzalez

The player is currently in a hospital in the Seattle area surrounded by loved ones and medical staff and continues to undergo testing to determine the cause of Sunday’s medical event. The NWSL said it is still in contact with Louisville’s medical team as DeMelo receives care.

“I’m lucky to have my family with me while I’m waiting for test results to come back,” DeMelo said in a statement issued by the club Monday. “I’m extremely thankful to our whole medical staff for the quick response. They’ve been with me every step of the way. The support from everyone has truly meant the world to me, and I’m excited to cheer on the girls this week.”

Louisville’s general manager Caitlyn Flores Milby used the opportunity to thank the medical team at Lumen Field on Sunday that treated DeMelo.

“From the moment the incident began, Savannah’s health has been our top priority,” she said. “I’m deeply grateful to our athletic trainers, Tara Condon and Michaela Clay, for their quick action and to the entire Seattle Reign medical staff for their assistance in getting Savannah the care that she required. I’m also thankful to the NWSL for its appropriate decision to suspend Sunday’s game and to everyone who has reached out with kind messages. The support means a great deal to all of us. We are here for Savannah and her family during this time.”

This was DeMelo’s second medical event of the season, with the player feeling dizzy and experiencing shortness of breath during a March game against Bay FC before she was taken off on a stretcher. The midfielder later revealed she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism months earlier, though it is currently unclear if this is related to Sunday’s incident.