For U.S. women's soccer, 16 years was worth the wait

NEW YORK - As historic as the U.S. women's soccer team's win was on Sunday, the history did not end there.

Friday's parade marked the first time since 1960 that only female athletes were honored with a ticker-tape parade through New York City's Canyon of Heroes. The last female athlete to be honored with her own parade was figure skater Carol Heiss Jenkins after she won Olympic gold in 1960.

It was the first time that a women's sports team received such an honor.

U.S. midfielder Lauren Holiday, who announced her retirement after the U.S. win, recognized that the significance this day may not sink in for the team right now.

"I'm not sure if we realize right now how important this was for women's sports in general, women's soccer obviously," Holiday said. "We're going to look back on this day and see that it was a defining moment in women's sports. I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of that."

Head coach Jill Ellis acknowledged the importance of the moment.

"I think it's huge. I know that not many teams get honored this way and to be the first female team, [is] very significant and very important for us and for females in sport."

Fans, decked in replica shirts, player jerseys or simply red, white, and blue, jammed down the parade route, chanting and cheering. At City Hall, where entrance was reserved for those with tickets to the ceremony, fans packed the plaza and waited for just a glimpse of the U.S. team.

And when they did, the noise level skyrocketed.

Midfielder Heather O'Reilly was blown away by the number of fans who came out for the event.

"I didn't know how many people would turn out. I know that America loves this team but I was just completely overwhelmed by the number of fans out there," the East Brunswick native said. "I think we really touched a lot of people by what we did up in Canada and we're so proud of that. Everybody was behind us and we really felt that today when we saw the seas of people."

The wait for this title was a long 16 years. It was 16 years of comparisons to the last U.S. team to bring home the World Cup title. The 2015 team will have its own legacy.

"The 15ers are this century's team," U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said, adding that "we still have the 91ers and the 99ers" in reference to the other two World Cup-winning U.S. squads.

There is one thing that the 15ers will, however, always share with that 1999 team - a World Cup title.