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To spread the word, the RailHawks have steadily increased their advertising in the Hispanic community, saturating Spanish-language newspapers, radio and television stations.

This season, the RailHawks have entered advertising contracts with the La Ley radio station and Univision television station.

The RailHawks have also partnered with Tecate, a beer company instantly recognizable among many Hispanics from Central or South America. Tecate is a co-sponsor of Sunday's match.

Still, the decision to bring in three players with Hispanic backgrounds was at least as significant as increasing advertising or promotions.

The RailHawks acquired defender Richard Perdomo, defender Mauricio Segovia and forward Nunez, giving them a total of four players with Hispanic roots, counting midfielder Santiago Fusilier, an N.C. State graduate.

Perdomo was born in Miami, and his parents are from Honduras. Segovia was born in Santiago, Chile. Nunez was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and grew up in Miami. Fusilier was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

They bring a unique style of soccer to the pitch, one that places more emphasis on technique than sheer athleticism. Nunez, for example, uses his 5-foot-6, 132-pound frame to dart in and out of traffic with short, fast touches. He's a dynamic playmaker.

The American game, by contrast, is more physical.

"I'm just a different kind of player," Nunez said. "That just has a little more flavor. Just the way I play it's different from Americans. South American fans and Central Americans they see that. ... They show me love."

"I like the little man, Nunez," said Jose Cano, 30, watching from the stands in May.

After immigrating to Raleigh from Mexico 12 years ago, Cano has never given up soccer. He often plays in recreational leagues. He said he attended at least 10 RailHawks games last season.

The RailHawks hope more fans notice.

"We're putting those four players into all of our advertising into the Latino community," Wellman said.

Educational outreach

A solid base on the field allows the RailHawks to concentrate more efforts away from the field.

Wellman said they did not want to ask for support from the Latino community without showing any.

So the RailHawks partnered with the Sin Fronteras Project, an after-school program for middle school-age children at West Lake Middle in Apex. Amy Schafer, the program coordinator, said the program's name is loosely translated as "no barriers."

She said the program offers educational support to high-risk students, many of whom are new immigrants.

Schafer said players such as Perdomo, Nunez and Raleigh native Caleb Norkus are helpful because they are bilingual and offer support for students whose English language skills are limited.

Players assist mostly during the off-season. They help with homework, mentor and give soccer instruction.

Norkus, a North Carolina graduate, said the more time he spent, the more he learned about the challenges facing some of the children. They inspired him.

"It was overwhelming how much of a need there is for that community here," he said.

Schafer has observed the boost in self-esteem of some of her students who have worked with RailHawks players.

"They are definitely filling a need," Schafer said. "They are doing it in a way that is actually connecting with the community."

Triangle's melting pot

Siercke, director of the N.C. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the RailHawks' interest helps give the Hispanic population a voice in the Triangle.

Others see the Hispanic community's interest in the RailHawks as a welcome addition to the region's social melting pot.

UNC visiting lecturer Chris Gaffney is a former soccer player who teaches geography and international studies. He says it is ironic that some poorer members of the Hispanic community watch their favorite sport in Cary, an affluent American suburb.

"It's a real clash of worlds," he said.

He said soccer is the universal language that connects them.

"It's more than the sport," he said. "It's a way to relate to people. When everyone is showing the same emotion around the same event, they find a way to express it to each other. Whatever barriers that are there, they're temporarily dropped."

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