New York Daily News

New jersey pride for the U.S.A.

- BY LAURA DIMON and BILL HUTCHINSON With Christian Zhang

THE U.S. team’s thrilling World Cup ride is keeping its jerseys far from the dreaded clearance rack.

At City Sports on Broadway in lower Manhattan, jerseys of teams that have crashed and burned in the Brazilian heat are heavily discounted.

But jerseys of the American soccer darlings were flying off the shelf Tuesday at the full $90 price as the underdog squad prepares to take on powerhouse Germany Thursday for a shot at moving to the Round of 16.

“We just got the email that Italy lost. They’ll be on the clearance rack by tomorrow,” store manager Jill Stefanik, 31, said matter-of-factly.

In contrast, some U.S. team garb, such as the red and blue home jerseys, sold out days ago.

Fans desperate to represent the Stars and Stripes were left to pick through the team’s white traveling gear.

“I like the U.S. soccer,” said Lucas Barrionuev­o, 32, an Argentine soldier who snapped a selfie of himself trying on an American team jacket at City Sports.

Team captain Clint Dempsey’s No. 8 was the best seller of all the Americans and is even doing better than Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, considered the best soccer player on the planet.

Cash registers at other sporting goods stores around the city were also ringing up brisk sales of U.S. team merchandis­e.

Nick Chang, manager of the Modell’s store near Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, said demand has been “nonstop.”

“Everybody is really excited, especially with the U.S. still able to leave the eliminatio­n round.”

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