Champagne and confetti are in store for the US Women's National Football Team. The 23 kickass players came home after their record-breaking World Cup win [1] — here's a list of records the team broke [2] if you need a refresher. They've been celebrating ever since, and June 10 marked a crowded and well-deserved ticker-tape parade in Lower Manhattan. On the US float, clad in sunglasses, medals, and "World Champion" t-shirts, stood Megan Rapinoe, who won the coveted Golden Boot [3] for most goals and Golden Ball for the best player in the tournament, along with teammates Alex Morgan [4] (Silver Boot winner) and Rose Lavelle [5] (Bronze Ball winner). Greats like Carli Lloyd [6] and Julie Ertz joined them.
If you missed the parade, there was lots of confetti (duh) and power poses [7] from the team. Also, team members, including Crystal Dunn [8], started an "equal pay" chant [9]. We'd expect nothing less from the team whose platform at the World Cup brought attention to the US Football Federation gender pay gap [10]. At one point, Alex sprayed the crowd with Champagne [11] — which, if we could guess, felt like being showered with fearlessness. Ahead, check out pictures from the parade that will warm your heart and make you even more proud of these great women.