United States Women's National Soccer Team

After a record-setting World Cup, the champion U.S. Women's National Team is home, and the celebration has already begun. 

From parades to award shows to victory tours, the team has a busy few days ahead. Here's everything you need to know about what the champions have been up to so far, and where to watch this summer as they celebrate their World Cup win.

The team arrived back in the United States on Monday afternoon, and their charter flight was greeted with a water cannon salute, a host of media and cameras and even a few VIP guests at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy were there to welcome the players as they disembarked the plane on a red carpet. The Murphys co-own the professional team Sky Blue FC and have been criticized for underinvestment in a club that has been plagued with reports of poor living and working conditions for players in recent years.

They did not speak to the media.

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At a different event Monday, Murphy did say that the US women's team deserved equal pay. 

Head coach Jill Ellis and her players were up bright and early Tuesday morning to make an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," where they chatted with GMA hosts Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos.

Megan Rapinoe — who received the Golden Boot as the tournament's leading scorer and the Golden Ball as its best player — urged viewers to keep the national interest in women's soccer going past the World Cup.

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All 23 players on the squad star for teams in the National Women's Soccer League, and will return to them for league play later this summer.

"For all the fans and everybody, good morning, good morning America. Everybody go watch your team. Watch the national team. Watch your local club teams," she said. "There is a part in this for everybody to do. And I think we've really left the old conversation behind us and now it's time for action."

On Wednesday, the USWNT will be honored with a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes in New York City. The city threw a parade when the US won the World Cup in 2015, the only other time in history that a women's sports team has been honored with a ticker-tape celebration. 

The parade is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will run through Lower Manhattan. The route starts at Battery Park and runs along the Canyon of Heroes, ending with a ceremony at City Hall at 10:30 a.m., where the team will receive keys to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio.

While tickets to the ceremony have sold out, the parade is free.

NY Waterway ferries from Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City and Belford/Middletown offer trips to stops at Brookfield Place/Battery Park City and Pier 11/Wall Street, within walking distance of the parade route, and kids under 12 ride free.

Seastreak offers early-morning service leaving from Highlands or Atlantic Highlands and arriving at Wall Street. 

Immediately after the parade, the USWNT will head back to the airport for a cross-country flight to California, where it is set to appear at the annual ESPY Awards, a show presented by ABC and ESPN to honor achievements in sports throughout the year.

Alex Morgan — who equaled a tournament record by scoring 5 goals against Thailand in the US's World Cup opener — is nominated for Best Female Athlete, and the squad is nominated for Best Team.

Hosted by comedian Tracy Morgan, the awards will air on ABC at 8 p.m. on July 10.

A potential trip to the White House was a topic of contention for the USWNT throughout the entire World Cup.

The team was honored by President Barack Obama in Washington after its 2015 win, but Rapinoe made headlines earlier this year by saying she was not interested in a visit to the White House.

President Donald J. Trump invited the team to the White House in a tweet in June, but after Sunday's win over the Netherlands, told reporters: "We haven't really thought about that. We'll look at that."

As Trump backpedaled on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted an invitation for the team to visit the US Capitol.

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer praised the team's "sustained level of excellence" and their fight for equal pay.

While the USWNT players aren't likely to return to their NWSL teams for this weekend's round of games, they will be back in action later in this summer. 

Sky Blue FC has billed its July 24 matchup against the Washington Spirit as its "World Cup Return" night. The game, which will feature Garden State hero Carli Lloyd for Sky Blue and World Cup breakout star Rose Lavelle for the Spirit, is at 7:30 p.m. at Yurcak Stadium in Piscataway. Group tickets start at $18.

You'll also be able to catch NWSL games on TV later this season. The league and ESPN announced a deal earlier this month to air 14 games, including the championship on October 27. 

The league has also announced Budweiser as its first major sponsorship, a huge sign of investment in the women's game beyond the World Cup.

The USWNT will reunite later in the summer for a five-game Victory Tour, US Soccer announced Tuesday. The first game is set to take place on August 3 against Ireland at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California — the first USWNT game at the Rose Bowl in 17 years. 

The rest of the opponents and locations have yet to be announced, but games will take place on August 29, September 3, October 3 and October 6.

Ella Brockway is an Asbury Park Press intern from Shrewsbury who studies journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached at ebrockway.com or 732-643-4264.

Source: App.com

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