'I'll watch the soccer now': New York embraces World Cup after Knicks parade

[p]The city has been awash with blue and orange ever since the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/new-york-knicks-WCNO4nbt/san-antonio-spurs-IwmkErSH/?mid=pnOhtTOH"]Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs[/a] in Texas last Saturday to win their first NBA title in 53 years.[/p][p]Huge queues formed outside the club's flagship store, while dozens of street vendors have been selling unofficial shirts, gold chains and caps ahead of the widely-anticipated victory parade.[/p][p]The ticker-tape procession began at 10am local time and took the team along a 10-block route from Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan to City Hall, where players were showered with more than a tonne of recycled confetti.[/p][image alt="Dozens of fans climbed scaffolding around Manhattan to watch the parade" id="eddf46f7-c248-4cfc-8eb3-5744c04d7e46" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="777b448b-7597-4335-a7fa-52b637b9ad39" original-width="1190" original-height="822" /][p]Public viewing areas were full several hours before the start, with fans climbing scaffolding, dump trucks and traffic lights for a glimpse of their heroes lifting the trophy.[/p][p]One street vendor, who asked not to be identified, said he had lived in New York for 43 years and had never seen anything like it.[/p][p]The self-confessed die-hard Knicks fan told Flashscore: [b]"I've worked the Yankees parade, the Rangers parade and the Giants parade. This is the biggest parade ever."[/b][/p][p]But he admitted the NBA had overshadowed the two World Cup matches New Jersey has hosted so far.[/p][p]The nearby city, which will host the World Cup final on July 19th, has already staged two games, with five-time champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=b5JayTEd"]Brazil drawing to Morocco[/a] and last year's runners-up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/france-QkGeVG1n/senegal-hOIsJLJr/?mid=ALxYcMw2"]France beating Senegal[/a].[/p][p]And despite supporters travelling from around the world for the tournament, local attention has remained firmly fixed on basketball.[/p][p][b]"I don't follow soccer. Football for me is regular football - the New York Jets," [/b]he said.[b] "But I wouldn't call that real football either!"[/b][/p][image alt="Fans held on to every available vantage point" id="e8f54cd7-e3de-4a21-b0db-02776a6ba838" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="86afc2e2-60d2-47c7-b42c-bb95800bbfd0" original-width="4960" original-height="3426" /][p]With the parade now over, many believe the city will soon embrace the World Cup atmosphere.[/p][p]Cesar, who moved to New York in the 1990s and began following the Knicks four years later, said the title win had been emotional.[/p][p][b]"It’s been a long time,"[/b] he told Flashscore. [b]"I've never been this happy. It feels amazing to be part of this."[/b][/p][p][b]"All the focus has been on the Knicks (but) my wife is from Ecuador, so I'm going to start watching the soccer now," [/b]he added.[/p][p][b]"From here on, everything will be focused on the World Cup."[/b][/p][p]Meaka, originally from Barbados and living in New York for the past eight years, attended the parade but admitted her main interest remains football - and Ghana in particular.[/p][p][b]"It's a good turnout and everybody's cheering and having fun, but the World Cup is my thing,"[/b] she said.[/p][p][b]"We don't say soccer, we say football. Back home in Barbados, everybody loves football."[/b][/p][infobox id="223b89ff-ddb8-4772-8cfb-8f89aea85267" /]