The phone at North American Sports Soccer Shop in East Vancouver hasn’t stopped ringing since the FIFA World Cup kicked off last week. Store owner Ferruccio Susin said one item, above all others, keeps selling out. “Canada’s T-shirts have been the hottest T-shirts in this World Cup,” Susin said. “Bar none.” He said the jerseys have sold out at least twice already. “Nike, I think, you know, didn’t estimate the big interest that is happening in Canada,” he said. ‘They all want a piece of it’ For Susin, the frenzy is a long time coming. He has been running his shop for 50 years, watching soccer grow into a national obsession. The World Cup, now being played partly on Canadian soil, has brought that journey full circle. “Everybody in Vancouver seems to go crazy about soccer,” he said. “They all want a piece of it.” North American Sports isn’t an ordinary retail store. Vintage photographs line the walls, chronicling decades of Canadian soccer history. “This is a picture of Canada’s first World Cup team,” said Susin, as he points to the photo hanging on the wall of his office depicting former Whitecaps player Bobby Lenarduzzi. Over the years, numerous professional players have come to source their gear here, such as in in January, when Team Canada star Alphonso Davies stopped by to buy soccer cleats. ‘Part of his family’ Televisions throughout the shop broadcast live World Cup matches, giving the space the feel of a fan zone as much as a store. Staff will pull you an espresso while you browse. The atmosphere, said Brazilian-born employee Gui Gomes, feels like home. “In Brazil, we love soccer,” he said. “And having the World Cup here in Canada, it’s amazing.” David Santos has been shopping at North American for 30 years. In that time, he has amassed a personal jersey collection of nearly 10,000 pieces. He saidjust this year alone, he’s purchased 30 jerseys from the shop—but what keeps him coming backisn’t just the inventory. “(Susin’s) one of the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life,” he said. “He makes me feel like I’m part of his family.” On a Wednesday afternoon, a group of people gathered to watch Portugal face the Democratic Republic of Congo. For Susin, moments like these are what the sport, and the shop, have always been about. Soccer, he said, is a universal language. “You can speak to anybody, in any corner of the world.” he said. Susin has built his success, all on his love for the game. “That’s where I felt the passion about soccer, and always had it,” he said. “And here I am.”
