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NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Thousands of adoring fans lined the city’s Canyon of Heroes Wednesday morning to shower the U.S. National Women's Soccer team with a blizzard of shredded paper and praise following their fourth historic World Cup victory.
Spectators started lining up early along the ticker-tape parade route to celebrate the squad, which defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the final Sunday.
It was their second straight World Cup victory and the parade comes exactly four years to the day that crowds tossed heaps of confetti to celebrate the team's 2015 championship title.
"It's amazing," said team Co-Captain Megan Rapinoe. "It really is incredible to see the way that we've moved everyone — little girls, little boys, men, women, everybody in between, all the Z's, and the he's, and the she's and the they's — it's truly incredible."
Some of the team's 23 players have local ties. Co-captain Carly Lloyd is from New Jersey, starred at Rutgers University and is on the Sky Blue FC in the National Women's Soccer League. Midfielder Allie Long reigns from Northport. Crystal Dunn is from Rockville Centre and won three state championships at Southside High School. Tobin Heath has a field named after her in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
All shared a float with Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro. During the procession, Rapinoe struck her now-famous victory pose and handed off a bottle of champagne to a spectator.
The champions arrived at City Hall, where they were presented with honorary keys to the city by Mayor de Blasio.
PHOTOS: 2019 Women's World Cup Victory Ticker-Tape Parade
Isabelle, Annalisa and Dany Taheri stood at the sidelines watching the parade with their dads, James and Jeff, and told WCBS 880’s Tim Scheld they trekked from Parsippany, New Jersey.
“We had to wake up at 5:30 so that we could just be here around like 8-ish,” explained Isabelle.
The avid soccer fans say they love the whole team and were excited to get the chance to see them in person. Their fathers also agreed it was a chance to create a lifelong memory.
“We were lucky enough to be here four years ago when they won it,” said dad Jeff. “We got these tickets and now we’re like right here. It’s gonna be a great memory for them.”
Amira Ginda, 12, was also watching the champion team make their way through New York City and said she thinks the team is brilliant on and off the field.
“They’re showing how it doesn't matter who you are, but you can be the best at anything and I feel that issue is sexism, racism, anything that discriminates a certain group of people. And, I feel like they are showing the world that it doesn't matter who you are, but you can achieve what you want to achieve,” she told WCBS 880’s Sean Adams.
She noted that the day was also a special bonding moment with her mother, Danielle.
“In these times, it's important to have heroes like the U.S. women's soccer team who are speaking out for social justice and equal rights and I want to make sure that my son and daughter grow up in a world where they have heroes just like them,” her mother said.
Raquel Sanisudro, 13, and her father Juan said while the parade was fun, they hope it can help girls see their own potential.
“I hope they realize that they can reach their dreams if they work hard and they can do whatever they want,” Juan said.
The team’s 2-0 victory proved the athletes are at the top of the game, but they continue to be vastly underpaid in comparison to the men’s national team.
The team will get just $4 million for winning the World Cup from FIFA. The men’s French team won $38 million for their World Cup victory in 2018.
The U.S. women's team has sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender and pay discrimination but the case is currently in mediation.
Prior to the key ceremony, both Cordeiro and Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the pay disparity, with Cuomo signing a law that eliminates a loophole that allowed gender discrimination in pay for the same jobs.
“U.S. soccer has invested more in women’s soccer than any country in the world and we will continue to invest more in women’s soccer than any country and the world and we will continue to encourage others, including our friends at FIFA, to do the same,” Cordeiro said at the ceremony.
The parade is named for the strands of ticker tape that was once thrown from nearby office buildings in Lower Manhattan.
After the paper settled though, the stars of the day became the Department of Sanitiation, as WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
“We had 130 men and women equipped with back blowers and hand brooms and we had 35 mechanical brooms, some other heavy equipment,” said Sanitation Chief Ed Grayson.
He notes 350 workers were out cleaning up the mess left from the parade.
“Luckily for us, the paper was usually light, we blow it, it moves. Weather was very good today, not too much of a challenge,” Grayson added.
The finale tonnage has yet to be tallied.