Lotto Sport Italia kitmakers thriving thanks to underdog Costa Rica

Through to the World Cup quarterfinals, Costa Rica continues to defy expectations on the pitch, but they're not the only underdog thriving in Brazil.

Lesser-known sportswear company Lotto Sports Italia is having its modest investment in Los Ticos pay off exponentially.  

With an identity similar to that of the strapped football club, Lotto is struggling to keep up with demands since the team's tournament-opening victory over Uruguay. 

"We are now having trouble organizing some fast production to let everyone have this shirt that will become a memory of a historic achievement," company president Andrea Tomat told Reuters' Stephen Eisenhammer.

Costa Rica are one of just five World Cup teams not represented by the monopolizing big-money manufacturing companies of Nike, Adidas and Puma, and are the only team to qualify for the final eight not under either the Nike or Adidas umbrella. 

"We have far less resources than the major brands," Tomat said. "So we have to work with someone that can be an underdog, someone that can come from behind and has something a little special."

Lotto will be dealing with back orders for some time, but if Costa Rica's run continues past a quarterfinal matchup with the Netherlands, it may have to overcome a giant themselves in order to continue representing Los Ticos.