A Stockton political science professor made the decision to start a semi-pro women's team, the Stockton Cargo, in his hometown, while awaiting a much-needed liver transplant.
It was four years ago when Stocktonian Lee Neves was told he needed a new liver. Neves, a University of Pacific adjunct political science professor, at the time of the news was chief of staff for a state legislator in Sacramento.
"I had cirrhosis of the liver. I have been sober for five years now. But I had cirrhosis of the liver," Neves, Stockton Cargo soccer club primary owner, said My doctors told me I needed a liver transplant or I would die. In fact, a lot of the doctors didn't think I was going to make it out of 2021. That's how bad I was. And so as I was waiting for this new liver, all I did was lay in bed all day long."
After eight months on the transplant list, Saint Patrick's Day came in 2022, when, thankfully, he was able to get a liver transplant at the University of Florida Medical Center. It was during this time of waiting, lying in bed all day, that it put things in perspective for him. Neves wanted to do something more than politics, something involving soccer.
"Me being Portuguese, I mean, we're born with a soccer ball in our crib," Neves said. "And I really always enjoyed working with female candidates because I find them to be the most focused. They always told me, 'Get me from point A to point B. I don't care how you get me there, just get me there.' So I just love their drive and work ethic."
And that's when the dream of starting the Stockton Cargo was born. In October 2021, he saw the USL announced they were going to be starting the W-League and wanted to bring a team to his hometown, giving Stockton women an opportunity on the pitch – and it started with this pitch.
"At that time, the only people who knew about my condition were obviously my boss in the state legislature, my wife, and my immediate family. No one else knew," Neves said. "So, I contacted a lot of my friends, especially in the athletic space. I had been a donor and supporter for Pacifica Flags for the longest time. And they all thought it was a great idea, not knowing the shape I was in. So I started bugging the league, like emailing them, calling. And finally, I think they wanted to, took my call just because they wanted me to leave them alone. And I kind of laid it all out."
Four years, a USLW championship, and six players who've gone pro later, his dream became a reality.
"Starting from this like little dream I had when I didn't know if I was going to wake up the next morning to where we are now, being one of the better teams in the USLW League, having players go play professionally in Mexico, in Greece, in the top level here in the United States," Neves said. "It's almost, I mean, I don't want to call it a miracle, it's the product of a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance. And it's not just, I know everyone looks at me as the owner. It's so many people behind the scenes. Hannah Diaz, Marek Albert, Adrienne Sorenson. When I first had this idea, I went to Adrienne Sorenson, and she's the one who actually really believed in me first. And if not for her, this never would have gotten off the ground. But so many people have put so much hard work and effort to make us one of the premier teams in the USLW."
It was all put in perspective for him last year during the Western Conference Final.
"We were down at half, 2-nothing, and I was depressed as could be, and I was getting a hot dog or something, eating my depression away," Neves said. "And there was a fan who came up and said, 'You know what, Lee, what you've done here is really amazing.' And I looked up and saw all the fans that were in the stands, that were here rooting for this team that made it this far from what really was a pipe dream when I didn't know if I was going to make it to the next day."
The club is home-grown, and Neves said they stretch every dollar, practicing and playing their home matches at Saint Mary's High School.
"This is a team that is born, bred and grown here in Stockton," Neves said. "Literally, our motto is 'our city, our team.' It's our city, and it's Stockton's team."
In the women's sports landscape, the NCAA has seen record growth, a more-than 10% increase in women's sports participation across all three divisions over this past decade.
"A league like this is vitally, vitally important," Neves said. "I think people are seeing the value in women's sports. You see the value of women's sports franchises increase exponentially."
With each shot at the net, Neves and his team are hoping to give their team a shot at their dreams.
"Growing up, I didn't necessarily have anything like this," Yareli Hernandez, Stockton Cargo striker and winger, said.
Hernandez was born and raised in Stockton, is an immigration office assistant by day, and plays on the club by night. She's been with the team since its onset and is now an assistant manager. She's passionate about working in immigration law and playing on this team, where it's stress relief for her to be with her teammates on the pitch.
"I am Hispanic, so our community is really suffering through a lot of things that have to do with ICE. I'm not necessarily kind of chasing a pro contract anymore. I'm more chasing like what Cargo does for the community, especially being local, especially being from Stockton."
Hernandez said this team means the world to her and a lot of younger girls out here, including her new teammate, 17-year-old Alexanda Rios, who has dreams of playing pro and, after being recruited by coach Marek Albert and talking it over with her parents, moved from Long Beach to Stockton in April, taking online high school classes.
"It's something I wanted for the longest," Rios, Cargo forward, wing, and midfielder, said. "I took the opportunity because I was given it because who knows when another opportunity like this will happen? And just gotta make the best of it."
Making the best in their environments, the Stockton Cargo are carrying Stockton on their backs and squashing their city's stereotypes.
"My day job is politics," Neves said. "And way too often, politically, whenever you hear about Stockton, it's all negative. Negative, negative, negative, negative, negative. And here we have something that is positive."
Hernandez and Rios grew up loving the sport with their families and also love how it brings people together.
"Stockton doesn't necessarily have the best rep," Hernandez said. "And so if we could have sources like Stockton Cargo or more kids playing sports instead of being out in the streets or doing other things that they shouldn't be doing, sports is a big reason why these kids are committed, disciplined, want something out of going to college," Hernandez said.
The Cargo have drawn in both their opening matches. The team's next match is against San Juan SC on May 27 in Folsom. Their next home match is on May 30 at Saint Mary's High School at 7 p.m. against the Pleasanton RAGE, hoping to bring their community together.
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