LOS ANGELES -- There were dark glasses and hoarse voices and plenty of admissions of severe sleep deprivation, but the United States' victorious Women's World Cup team wasn't going to let such trivial matters get in the way Tuesday morning.
Less than 48 hours removed from lifting the trophy in Canada, the squad was greeted to the sort of sight that made you blink to check if it was real: an estimated 10,000 screaming fans lining up, jostling for position and jamming into a downtown entertainment district to see nothing more than an elaborate pep rally.