They aren\u2019t Messi-ng around.<\/p>\n
Thousands of soccer fans swarmed Lower Manhattan on Friday \u2014 some lining up as early as 1 a.m. \u2014 to get their hands on limited edition New York City-themed World Cup jerseys as soccer fever intensifies<\/a> in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n Christian Pichardo of Sunnyside secured the No. 1 spot in the queue at the NYC City Store by plopping down outside One Centre Street at 1 a.m. after catching a movie nearby \u2014 and sitting outside for eight hours before the shop opened.<\/p>\n More than a thousand fans swarmed Centre Street Friday for their chance at grabbing a NYC World Cup jersey. James Messerschmidt for the NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cThere were only 1,500 jerseys that were going to be sold. There\u2019s gonna be a really high demand \u2026 And New Yorkers seem to like standing in line,\u201d said Pichardo, 26.<\/p>\n \u201cMy choice was either, \u2018Do I go home and like, sleep for two hours and try to get there at 4 a.m.? Or do I just power through and go straight after the movie?\u2019 So that\u2019s what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n The Queens resident worked on his laptop, ate snacks and made friends with the dozens of other early birds who started filing in over the next few hours.<\/p>\n The experience was exhilarating for Pichardo, who won\u2019t be attending any of the 2026 FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey but plans to watch at his neighborhood bar and cheer on FC Barcelona\u2019s players.<\/p>\n There were just 1,500 jerseys for sale, with customers allowed to buy just two each. James Messerschmidt for the NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cIt was super cool. I\u2019m really excited about the World Cup!\u201d<\/a> he said, adding that he took home two \u201cshirts \u201cNew York City\u201d jerseys \u2014 one for himself and one for his girlfriend.<\/p>\n The line ultimately grew to around 1,000 people before the shop opened at 9 a.m., meaning plenty of hopeful fans walked away empty-handed. <\/p>\n There were just 1,500 jerseys up for grabs, with fans having their choice of three different color combos: referee-like white and black, a taxi-esque yellow and black and an orange and red option.<\/p>\n The jerseys were made at Mazzi Sports, locating in Brooklyn. Mayor’s Office of Creative Communications<\/p>\n The kits were designed by local artist Arsh Raziuddin, the Mayor\u2019s Office\u2019s design consultant for the World Cup, and manufactured by Brooklyn-based Mazzi Sport \u2014 which launched Mamdani Futbol Club jerseys last summer <\/a>during the politician\u2019s mayoral campaign.<\/p>\n