The champs are here.
Soccer fans worldwide took to the New York City streets today for a ticker-tape parade celebrating the U.S. Women’s National Team and its 2019 Women’s World Cup championship. And the whole squad was in attendance, including fan favorites Megan Rapinoe (rocking the women’s Off-White x Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 5) and Alex Morgan (in the Nike Air Max 270 React), with fans gathered at City Hall, where they were presented with the keys to the city.
“They have inspired millions and millions, particularly young women, to believe in themselves, to be brave, to be bold,” Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed in the presentation before ceding the dais to Robin Roberts, a former women’s college basketball star and renowned sports commentator, to bring out the team.
Before the team came out, amid “equal pay” chants from the crowd, U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro stated, “We believe in fair and equitable pay and together, I believe, we could get this done.”
Morgan made sure during her speech that everyone understood that she agrees with the demands of the fans.
“We appreciate the signs, the chants. Keep them going,” Morgan said, adding, “The USA chants, I meant.”
During her speech, Rapinoe backed the statement of Cordeiro and mentioned she has faith in the leader. “I think he’s on the right side of things, I think he’s going to make things right. He’s proven every day in office that he’s with us,” Rapinoe said.
The team co-captain also highlighted the USWNT‘s diversity: “We’ve got black girls, white girls and everything in between, straight girls and gay girls.” She also took a shot at President Donald Trump, whom she has been openly critical of (“There’s no place that I would rather be, even in the presidential race. I’m busy. I’m sorry”).
Before leaving the stage, Rapinoe provided a message of unity.
“We have to be better. We have to love more and hate less, we have to listen more and talk less … It’s our responsibility to make this world a better place,” she said.
Rapinoe continued, “There’s been so much contention in these past years. I’ve been a victim of that, and I’ve been a perpetrator of that. It’s time together; it’s time for the next step.”
For the fourth time since the tournament’s inception in 1991, the USWNT beat the competition to earn the Women’s World Cup title. To win it all, the squad defeated a tough Netherlands team on July 7 by a score of 2-0 with goals scored by Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle.
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