US rejoices after women's football World Cup win
WASHINGTON
Politicians, athletes and even an astronaut celebrated the U.S. victory in the Women's World Cup, and the mayor of New York announced a ticker tape parade for the champions.
A penalty by Megan Rapinoe and a strike by Rose Lavelle took the United States women to a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final in Lyon, France.
It was their second consecutive win in the tournament and a record-setting fourth overall.
"I want to congratulate the women's soccer team on winning the World Cup. That's an incredible achievement," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in New Jersey. "It is a great honor to have them capture it for the United States."
In a statement, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said "the confidence, grit, and perseverance of the U.S. women's national soccer team [serves] as an inspiration to all who watch them," and that they'd be welcomed to the city with a parade on July 10.
They received a similar honor after their previous World Cup victory in 2015.
In Chicago, nearly 9,000 people wearing the red, white and blue of the American flag gathered to watch the final on a large screen, jumping and cheering with each goal scored.
"It was an incredible game to watch and my body was tense the whole time. It's like, go U.S., man!" football fan Emma MacMillan told AFP.
Alexandra Warrington, who attended a viewing party at National Harbor outside the capital Washington, called Rapinoe's performance a highlight.
"I've idolized her my whole life growing up so just seeing her keep excelling is just awesome," she said.
While the spirit of the nation soared sky-high with the women's victory, former American astronaut Scott Kelly was just happy to be on Earth for their win.
When the U.S. side beat Japan in the 2015 World Cup final, Kelly celebrated aboard the International Space Station, posting on Twitter a picture of an American flag floating in space.
This year, he tweeted that he "enjoyed watching you score again for USA on Earth this time!"
