Simons remains angry, confused and hurt.

As Bermuda prepare for tomorrow night's Caribbean Cup match against Cuba, Simons remains at home, haunted by both the rejection and the speculation surrounding it.

"I really don't understand why I was not picked,'' the Southampon Rangers 1998 MVP said yesterday.

Simons, who just turned 21 in March, is one of the Island's most explosive players and led the First Division in scoring with 19 goals. But when the Bermuda Football Association released their official roster Simons' name wasn't on it.

Innuendo began immmediately and last week coach Robert Calderon told The Royal Gazette that Simons "had not trained as frequently as we would have liked -- there could be a number of reasons for that -- (and) we are trying to develop a team with a sense of comaraderie.'' Sitting in the living room of his parents' Warwick home, Simons reads the comment and stews.

"I hear it every day, people asking if I didn't attend training sessions. And it's not true. Ask anybody.

"When I was told I wasn't on the team, I was calm about it. I chose to keep my mouth shut. Then I read what was being said and I knew that it was wrong.'' Simons concedes that of the three weekly training sessions, he could not attend two: Thursdays because of Regiment duties and Saturdays because he is a Seventh Day Adventist.

But on Tuesdays, "I was there for every one since Novemeber, and probably scored in every one too. Sometimes there was only me and maybe two or three others.'' Of his religion, Simons said this was originally cited by technical director Clyde Best as a reason for his being cut from the team. One of the games in the Cayman Islands was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday and Simons' religion does not allow him to play.

The games were subsequently rescheduled for Friday and Sunday but Simons did not earn a recall. And when Shawn Goater, one of two English professionals on the team, went down with a shoulder injury on Sunday, Simons again was not contacted.

Calderon told The Royal Gazette that "it would be too difficult to get an airline ticket'' for a replacement. Said Simons, "That part hurt me.'' With Goater and Kyle Lightr bourne up front, Simons said he didn't expect to start both games -- "these guys are idols of mine'' -- but hoped to benefit from their experience or play 10-15 minutes a game.

Now Simons is afraid that missing out on the exposure will hurt his chances of catching on somewhere with a professional tema.

Simons said he "wishes the team well'' but vows the slight will not be forgotten.

"It's made me more aggrreesive in the way I train and the way I play,'' he said. "I'm going to come back next year and score 25 or even 30 goals. I feel more confident because (the snub) had nothing to do with my ability.'' Instead, Simons blames the "cliques'' of club soccer, noting the selection of seven Dandy Town players -- and no Rangers.

ROHAAN SIMONS