Marking the first time any women's team has been celebrated in New York's famed Canyon of Heroes, thousands are expected to turn out Friday for a parade marking the U.S. women's soccer team's record third World Cup title.
Friday's parade is set to kick off at 11 a.m. ET, and it comes on the heels of another U.S. achievement: a return to the No. 1 spot in FIFA's rankings that were released this morning.
In claiming the top spot, the U.S. women dethroned Germany, whom they beat in the World Cup semifinals. The team is also continuing a remarkable streak: Since FIFA created its world rankings for women in 2003, the Americans' average position is No. 1, according to soccer's global governing body.
Today's parade lasts a bit more than an hour, as Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, and the rest of the 23-member team make their way from lower Manhattan's Battery Park to City Hall.
To watch it on TV or online, SB Nation says: "The parade will be broadcast on ESPN and Fox Sports 1, as well as local New York City stations. WatchESPN will host live streaming along with local New York City news station websites, including ABC 7 and NBC 4."
The last time a female athlete was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York was back in 1960, when figure skater Carol Heiss Jenkins won Olympic gold at age 20.
This week, Jenkins wrote an open letter congratulating the women's soccer team, saying she had watched their games on TV — and adding that one of her granddaughters has earned a college scholarship in soccer.
"If you believe in something, write it down, because if you believe it, then it becomes a goal," she wrote. "Young girls have to have dreams and believe in those dreams in order to make them happen."
Jenkins concluded her note:
"Enjoy the moment. Look up at the buildings and the people above. The cheering fans should make you realize your accomplishment transcends just a score in a soccer game. Take it all in, as it goes by fast. This moment in time is very well-deserved, and I hope your day is as magical as the one I enjoyed back in 1960."
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