Fourteen hours after its one-sided win in the final of the Women's World Cup, the U.S. team gathered Monday near Vancouver's bay-side convention center for another in a seemingly endless procession of public victory celebrations.
On the edge of the crowd a small woman pushed forward, holding out a bag of candy. "Make sure they get it," said Aya Miyama, captain of the Japanese team.
Even the vanquished came to pay tribute to the victors, so complete was the Americans' 5-2 triumph over the defending champions Sunday.
"It's been unbelievable," said Carli Lloyd, whose hat trick in the first 16 minutes of the final also strained credulity.