The U.S. Women's National team celebrated their third World Cup victory all-time with a ticker-tape parade through the streets of New York City on Friday and HNGN was there to capture all the prideful joviality.
After the USWNT defeated Japan by a score of 5-2 over the Fourth of July weekend, during a time when the nation was already celebrating its biggest and most important holiday, America was infused with a newfound sense of national pride.
"It means a lot to me," said Sidney Francis, an American transplant from Antigua, after the parade had passed and the confetti had collected underfoot. "The last four years they fought so hard and even after they lost in Japan. I gave Japan that win. I think we gave Japan that win. But after four years, we deserve it. I watched the game and it was a great game."
Francis, who came to the country in 1990 and now works for the city as an M&J engineer, echoed a sentiment that has been voiced by many in the wake of the World Cup win; that he fell in love with the team and the players - players like Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach - as they fought and clawed their way to a dominant finals victory over Japan.
"I just love the team," said Francis, who was decked out in red, white and blue gear. "It's a great team. It's a great, great team. I love that they fight hard, they love each other, they stick together and they believe they could win and they did win."
Scroll down for more pictures and videos from the parade...
