US women's soccer team celebrates World Cup victory in New York

To chants of "equal pay," the US women's soccer team paraded the World Cup trophy through New York's financial district. In a fever pitch of global interest, the team beat The Netherlands 2-0 in the final. "The level of interest and excitement is much higher from four years," said Jessica Lappin, president of the parade's organizers. "That's partly because they're women's rights icons now."

In a fiery speech at the parade, celebrated co-captain Megan Rapinoe described her squad as a mixture of all sorts of characters. But Rapinoe, an outspoken gay activist who has called for greater equality for women, urged supporters to engage their communities at a deeper level. "We have to be better, love more and hate less," Rapinoe said. "This is everyone's responsibility."

Player of the tournament Megan Rapinoe holds aloft the trophy as teammates celebrate the fourth World Cup triumph by the US women's team. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio presented the ceremonial keys to the city to the players, and stars Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd thanked the country for supporting the team.

Despite their successful performance over the past decades, women do not earn the same on international duty as the US men's team. In March, the women's team sued the US Federation for equal pay. "They play the same game that men soccer players play. They play it better, with better results," said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. "If there's any economic rationale, the men should get paid less."

Even before US President Donald Trump extended an invite to the team, Rapinoe had said she would decline. In an interview on Tuesday, she said she didn't believe anyone else would accept. "I would say that your message is excluding people," she said when asked if she had a message for Trump. "Maybe America is great for a few people right now, but it's not great for enough Americans in this world."

Megan Rapinoe pours champagne as the United States Women's Soccer team ride up the Canyon Of Heroes at a Ticker Tape Parade in New York City. Team USA started celebrating the back-to-back World Cup victories on Sunday. In 2015, they beat Japan in the final, whom they had lost to four years earlier.