A thick, dark line has been drawn
right down the middle of Truckee Meadows soccer fields. On
one side is the Reno Rattlers. On the other is the
Northern Nevada Soccer League. "It's very divisive," said Mike
Simon, owner and operator of the Rattlers. Simon lashed out at a "lack of
support" by Reno's Mexican community following the
Rattlers' home game last Saturday, when only 250 paying
customers appeared. Attendance has been less than 1,000
for the first two home games of the professional team,
which plays in the Select League of the U.S.
International Soccer League. "The Mexican people want everything
segregated here," Simon said. "They think their
soccer is it and that we don't know anything about
running it or playing it. They decided not to support us.
It's a racial issue. Soccer should be able to transcend
racial things. I'm dealing with a small-minded group of
people." Fernando Corona, vice president of the
predominantly Hispanic Northern Nevada Soccer League,
denied the charge and claimed Simon reneged on an
agreement they had last year in the Cinco de Mayo
celebration last year. "We don't have discrimination for
anybody," Corona said. "It's not right to
question us about that. We don't do those things. We have
all nationalities -- Argentines, Peruanos, Americans. You
want to play, you can play." The Northern Nevada league consists of 46
teams. Twenty percent of the 800 players are Americans,
Corona said. The Rattlers show five Mexican citizens on
their roster, but Corona said they had eight of their
players last year and kept only two -- Antonio Mora and
Alfredo Velazquez. The problem is not with players, but
with Simon, Corona said. "Last year for the Cinco de Mayo
celebration, we set up two games. We agreed we would
share profits from concessions half and half. Then he
(Simon) changed his mind one week before the games. He
wanted to take all the money for the Rattlers. "We don't have an owner. We're a
non-profit organization. "Now we don't want to talk to them about
anything. We don't want to fight. We just don't want to
have anything more to do with Mike Simon." Corona said his league had been working with
Arnold Petrolino, who was the Rattlers' business manager.
"We worked very well together. After Cinco de Mayo,
they laid him off." Simon said he would like a better
understanding of the entire situation. "We need 2,000 paid per game," he
said. "I'm at a loss. Maybe the area doesn't know
soccer. The Hispanic people shouldn't have a Top of page
problem. Do they know the game or do they not? That
issue I don't understand. My door has always been
open."
"We have a very culturally diverse team.
Our lineup is made up of the best talent available. Our
players are good citizens. It's a cohesive group."
The Rattlers' roster shows 13 U.S. citizens,
five Mexican citizens, one German and one Jamaican.
"If we played against the best team they
(the Northern Nevada Soccer League) could put together,
we'd annihilate them," Simon said.
"It would be a tie," Corona
countered.
The Northern Nevada league will participate in
the four-day Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Nevada next Saturday
with its annual competition for the Silver Cup at the
Rattlers' home field, Wooster High. The featured game
pits the Northern Nevada Under 23 Olympic Team against
South Lake Tahoe Square Creek Resort. Pre-game activities
begin at 11 a.m.
In the USISL, the Rattlers won their first two
regular-season games, 1-0 over the New Mexico Chile and
2-1 against the Chico Rooks. Following a weekend road
trip, they will meet the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers
in Minden May 3.
Youth soccer organizations in Douglas County
are expected to boost the Rattlers attendance figures for
that game, but Simon is concerned about the nine
remaining home games.
"Youth soccer provides the fan base for
us," he said. But, he says, he is frustrated by the
resistance to his efforts to bring in the Mexican
community.
"I've tried to bend, tried to be
flexible, be everything I can," he said. "It
seems that no matter what I do, it's not going to matter.
We knew after last season, it was going to be
controversial. We had a 13-7 record, which should impress
people.
"But there's been a lot of crying about
the local issue. Why not put together an all-local team,
they say. We could do that but we want to put up the most
competitive team we can. It's all about winning, as far
as I'm concerned. Our results will speak for themselves.
"There's a lot of politics and little
stuff going on. It hurts. I'm sensitive to it. Some
people say, 'Why don't you make decals, put out banners
and souvenirs?' Well, I don't want to act like we're a
circus.
"Right now we're a one-man show. I want
to host the championship trophy at the end of the year.
That's what I'm going to put my energy into. If we do
well playing the game, maybe we'll cross the lines.
"Maybe people will respect our effort and
our product. That's what I'm hoping for."