NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Roaring crowds of enthusiastic fans are expected to pack Lower Manhattan Wednesday to celebrate the World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National Team.
The city is busy preparing for a ticker-tape parade and so are local businesses, CBS2’s Christina Fan reported.
You’ll be able to hear the cheering and the screaming across Lower Manhattan Wednesday. The U.S. woman will be passing through the Canyon of Heroes. The barricades were already up Monday, and the prep work for the ticker-tape the parade gets its name from has begun. The sidewalk along Broadway is decorated with names of the United States’ greatest athletes. On Wednesday, fans will gather to celebrate the American women capturing their record fourth World Cup championship with Sunday’s 2-0 win over The Netherlands.
The U.S. women’s national team returns home on July 8, 2019, after their historic World Cup win. (Credit: CBS2)
The team returned to the United States on Monday afternoon. They were greeted by fans at Newark Liberty International Airport, posing for photos on a red carpet.
“Every World Cup, it’s, you just get so into it. It’s so exciting to see not just the playing, but, like, the girl’s personalities and get to know each new player and it’s great,” Washington Heights resident Mel Perry said.
“It was really cool to see somebody who I looked up to a lot be right in front of me and see what they actually look like,” 12-year-old Shannon Gallagher said.
Another crowd was waiting outside their hotel to welcome them home.
“It’s so nice to be home. Thank you France for the hospitality, but wow, we are very excited to be back in America,” forward Megan Rapinoe said.
“I am such a proud New Yorker. It’s in my blood. It’s everywhere I go. It’s such a special place, and obviously for this to be our first stop back here when we get back to the States, it’s incredible,” defender Crystal Dunn said.
“This starts, like, an amazing three days of getting to just release all that emotional, physical exhaustion that we’ve had over the last 30 days and just be able to celebrate and make sure that everything is worth it,” forward Alex Morgan said.
Watch: U.S. Women’s National Team Returns Home After World Cup Win —
“The girls crushed it. It was intense. I couldn’t watch all of it,” Sarah told Fan.
Sarah and her two daughters will be in the crowd Wednesday morning as confetti rains from the sky. They missed Team USA’s last World Cup win and parade four years ago. This time, they’re hoping to spot their role models.
“They are strong, smart, they work really hard at everything they do and they’re standing up a lot for themselves,” Sarah said.
The Downtown Alliance is busy collecting about a ton of shredded recycled paper that will be distributed to participating businesses along the route.
“Right now, it’s over two dozen. We’re going to continue to work on that. Not everyone can open their windows any more. But we’re gonna have a lot of healthy participation and people are really exited for this moment,” Downtown Alliance president Jessica Lappin said. “It’s just sort of mesmerizing to see and adds to the whole experience.”
Local restaurants and delis are excited for the foot traffic, too. Danny Martinez, who works at Apple Gourmet, said he already knows his cousin will be stopping by.
“She’s gonna drop by the store to grab something to eat and she will be on her way to see the parade,” Martinez said.
Watch Christina Fan’s report —
Bars like Manhattan Proper can get packed during a typical U.S. soccer watch party. They say Wednesday’s celebration will bring an even crazier crowd.
“We’ll definitely be open earlier for the parade, ready to take on anybody who wants to celebrate post them getting keys to the city,” said Chris Kirchner of Manhattan Proper.
The U.S. women’s national team returns home on July 8, 2019, after their historic World Cup win. (Credit: CBS2)
Mayor Bill de Blasio says he’s confident the massive celebration will go off without a hitch.
“It’s going to be a great party and we are so proud of our American women,” de Blasio said.
It’s not just American fans that expect to be wowed. Soccer fans from England may be sad their team didn’t take home the win.
“I imagine it’s going to be a lot crazier. A bit bigger, because it’s America. That’s just one team, this is a whole country,” one English fan said.
The parade begins at Battery Park at 9:30 a.m. and will end at City Hall. CBS2 and CBSNewYork.com will have live coverage all throughout the event. Join us!
