The U.S. Women’s national soccer team got a hero’s welcome on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
But the real party is Friday in New York City!
A ticker-tape parade will honor the U.S. Women’s World Cup team Friday, Mayor de Blasio announced.
The parade will celebrate the first women’s team to win the World Cup since 1999, and will travel the route of so many great Yankee, Met and Giants teams before them − up the Canyon of Heroes, on Broadway from the Battery to City Hall.
The star players from Sunday’s 5-2 win over Japan in the final were understandably excited when they took to Twitter.
Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) tweeted: “NYC we will see you Friday! #WorldChamps”
And veteran Abby Wambach (@AbbyWambach), one of the greatest players in U.S. history who finally got to raise the World Cup trophy followed with: “Looks like we now are headed to NYC!! Very humbled by this… #thecelebrationcontinues.”
In Los Angeles on Tuesday, Carli Lloyd, the hero of the tournament out of Delran, N.J., looked out over the cheering mob of U.S. women’s national team fans and raised an arm in triumph.
“It feels great to wake up as a world champion, and that feeling won’t ever get old,” Lloyd said.
The home celebrations got underway for the World Cup winners on Tuesday. The Americans were welcomed to downtown Los Angeles by an estimated crowd of 10,000 cheering fans at a rally in the first stop on a victory tour.
The first stateside appearance was a raucous party in front of fans who began camping out before dawn on short notice.
Wambach joyously lifted the World Cup trophy while the players led the crowd in chants of “I Believe That We Just Won!”
Lloyd’s hat trick in the final propelled the U.S. women to their record third World Cup title, and she believes this team has done something comparably ground-breaking.
“I know in ’99 it was a huge turning point for women’s soccer, (but) I think we have just crushed history right now,” said Lloyd, who scored six goals in the tournament. “With the amount of coverage, with social media, with everything else that’s been going on, I think there was no greater time to win a World Cup than now. . . . It’s an unbelievable moment. It’s something that’s going to last for years.”
The U.S. players spent the night downtown before the rally, but could hear fans chanting down the street when they awoke.
Even after everything they accomplished in the previous six weeks, the excitement still stunned them.
“We didn’t know how many people were going to show up,” Megan Rapinoe said. “We didn’t have this just a few years ago. We’ve earned it, and we’re proud of it. The atmosphere was just so much fun. It was a great party, and I like to enjoy myself.”
While defender Meghan Klingenberg filmed her team with a GoPro camera, Rapinoe took the microphone to introduce her teammates with various anecdotes, nicknames and embarrassing details. The fans roared for every player, but gave particularly loud cheers when Hope Solo addressed them.
“It is so good to be back home!” yelled Solo, the goalie who yielded just three goals in the tournament. “You guys have been the most awesome of fans throughout the entire time. I’m honored to be an American, I’m honored to play for this team and this country!”
