Sales for World Cup merchandise booming at Phoenix sports store

Sports apparel stores all over the country are seeing a huge rise in merchandise sales since the last World Cup games four years ago, especially at local shops like Deportes America.

The sports superstore is no stranger to soccer fans in the Valley.

"Every four years it's an exciting time because everyboy tried to walk in and get their merchandise, they want to represent," Janeth Barraza said.

It was the first soccer store to open in the Valley in 1994. With 24 years in the business and each World Cup series, Deportes America says the most popular sale item are the jerseys.

"They come in here for jerseys the most because that's pretty much the biggest way to represent," Barraza said. "You wear it while you watch the game and everybody knows what you're wearing."

Along with other sale items like banners, soccer balls, flags and shoes, the store says anything customers can grab to represent they'll buy.

"This World Cup, sadly, the U.S. is not in it, but you have Americans coming in and supporting other countries; their wife's country, their friend's country... Mexico, the neighbor," Barraza said.

You can catch all of the World Cup games and coverage on FOX 10.

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