CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- An international sports apparel company is threatening to shut down a small South Bay soccer league for low-income children.

If the children who play in the Pumas USA Soccer Leagues in Chula Vista want to play another season, they are going to have to change their identity.

Pumas USA is a soccer league of about 350 children who range in ages from 3 to 19. Many are from low-income families around Chula Vista.

"There is no profit, no money that we make out of this," said Raul Gonzalez, the secretary of Pumas USA Soccer League. "None of the coaches get paid for their services."

Gonzalez received a letter from apparel company Puma that threatened to sue if Pumas USA does not change its name and stop the sale of products with the Pumas USA name.

"The logo comes nothing, nothing close to their puma," said Gonzalez.

In the letter, Puma's corporate counsel said the Pumas USA trademark was confusingly similar to the famous Puma brand.

Gonzalez said this was not the first time the league has had problems with its name.

"There was a team from Mexico, Una ma pumas, and we wore the logo and we were told to stop wearing the uniform or else we were going to get sued by them," said Gonzalez.

Pumas USA changed the logo and had it checked by trademark infringement attorneys first so the problem would never come up again.

"However, that backfired on us," said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez said the first time every parent had to buy new uniforms, some decided to take their children out of the league instead.

"That is going to be one of the problems and most likely we will be losing players because of this," he said.

Gonzalez said Pumas USA already charges a fraction of other clubs in the county so more children can play.

"We do this for the kids and if we don't help them out, no one else will," said Gonzalez.

He said if Pumas USA does have to change its name and the uniforms again, then more parents will have to pull their children out of the league.

Gonzalez said the league cannot afford to fight for its name in court. If the league cannot work with Puma, then Pumas USA will give up their name.

10News spoke with the Puma attorney who wrote the letter, but he did not want to comment.