Für unsere Gäste » manager in 2006.They dont see the amount of w

MONTREAL -- Quebec has found a place to play soccer on the international stage, but it is not in a World Cup or any other event with national teams. A group of 18 players patched together and coached by former Montreal Impact player Patrick Leduc will begin play Sunday in the International Tournament of Peoples and Cultures in Marseille, France. The week-long event has teams from provinces and regions that are not independent --although some wish to be -- but feel unique enough to have their own teams. The other squads are from Tibet, Iraqi Kurdistan, Aram in Syria, Western Sahara, the northern Indian regions of Ladahk and Nagaland and the host French region of Provence. "Its the first time that a senior male team (from Quebec) will play at the international level," said Yannick Saint-Germain, president of the team that calls itself Les Quebecois. "We have under-14 or under-16 teams that have played against France or Mexico, but as seniors, its the first time. "Its an historical moment for us, and I hope it wont be the last tournament for us." Leduc scrambled to find players whose clubs were willing to release them in mid-season and ended up with some decent talent in former Impact players Reda Agourram, Alex Suprenant and Kevin Cossette, former FC Edmonton member Fabrice Lassonde and others. Sovereigntists in Quebec have pushed for a "national" hockey team to play against Canada and other countries, but it has never come close to happening. Saint-Germain turned to soccer, where there is an international body called the Non-Federated Board overseeing soccer among cultures and regions that are not members of the sports world governing body FIFA. He attended the Viva World Cup, or non-FIFA world cup, last year in Kurdistan. Now he hopes to enter the Quebec team in next years tournament in Lapland. "Im not the only one who has dreamed of having a national team in hockey or soccer or any sport," said St-Germain. "Many people think about it. "I wanted to see if it was feasible. I Googled to see if there were other non-independent states with national teams and I discovered theres a lot." Zanzibar, and island off the coast of Tanzania in east Africa, for example. Or North Cyprus, which lost to Kurdistan in last years non-FIFA World Cup final. Saint-Germain and Leduc said the teams mission is cultural rather than political, but Quebecs independence movement is solidly behind it. The team is partly funded by the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois government and has backing from the ultra-nationalist St-Jean-Baptiste Society. The schedule includes a game against Tibet on June 24, Quebecs national holiday. "There are a lot of non-independent nations that play internationally in their confederations, like Puerto Rico, for example," said Saint-Germain. "As I say, football independence has nothing to do with political independence. "Its two different things. Of course people who are for the independence of Quebec are very happy about this project, and I understand that, but theres no relation. You can be a province and play. Ontario or New Brunswick could play, why not?" Leduc said the team has not taken a political position. "We didnt base our selection on whether you vote for the Parti Quebecois or the Liberals," he said. "I have francophones, anglophones, allophones, but I only wanted to know if they were forward, midfielder or defender. "Ive realized also that whether they vote blue or red, it doesnt matter. Theyre proud to represent Quebec. A 25-year-old player is really happy to be part of a select team and to play at the elite level once again in his career." It was a proud moment to put on the blue and white shirt with the fleur-de-lys on the front for Cossette, who plays semipro in Quebec City. "At 16, I played for Quebec in a Canadian championship, but to represent it at the senior level and to play with the best in Quebec is a source of pride," he said. "Im completely a Quebecer. "I have no other nationality." Tommy Lucas, the bilingual former captain of the McGill Redmen, has no problem with it. "Its my home and its always been my home," he said. "My parents are from England but I was born here. "Especially Montreal, this is where I belong. Im excited to represent Quebec. I feel a strong sense of pride and thats definitely going to help me perform during the tournament." The team is not sanctioned by the Quebec Soccer Federation, which was in the spotlight last week for its controversial decision to ban turbans and other religious headgear, only to rescind the order when FIFA clarified its rules. The QSF is affiliated with FIFA through the Canadian Soccer Association. Leduc said they approached the federation for support and found them "ambivalent. "In future, maybe long term, wed like to be sanctioned by the federation and play official games, whether it be against teams like Catalonia or other regions, or official games. Haiti is coming here this summer, so why not have a Quebec team play them?" The players gathered for one last fundraiser Tuesday night at a bistro called Massila, the ancient name for Marseille, which was designated by the European Union as European Capital of Culture for 2013. They held their first practice later that night. They wont have much of a budget. The trip will cost about $40,000, with the team staying in a university dorm and getting around on public transit. But they hope to do well on the pitch, even if they have no idea of the level of play of most opponents. "I expect varying levels," said Leduc. "I expect Provence will be a tough game. "Kurdistan I know will be a really tough team, but I dont know how strong Tibet will be. Its fun that theyre participating." It will be a grind. Quebec opens with games on consecutive days against Western Sahara, Tibet and Provence. The semifinals are on June 27 with the final the following day. There are consolation games for those that dont make the semis. They are entering the unknown, but Agourram was adamant it is not vacation and they will give their best on the pitch. "We know nothing about the teams were going to play against, but I think we have a good team and Im confident well have good results," he said. Yeezy 350 v2 Pas Cher . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Yeezy 350 v2 Lundmark Pas Cher . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. http://www.pascheryeezy350v2.fr/fausse-yeezy-boost-350.html . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Yeezy Boost 350 Pas Cher .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Yeezy 350 v2 Black Pas Cher . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. The influence of manager Joe Maddon has spread well beyond Wrigley Field now that he has pulled off what many Cubs fans thought theyd never see and led the team to the World Series.In a city where Jordan is still revered, the mantra of wanna be like Mike might soon be replaced by Joe Knows.At Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Business, where an MBA will cost you well over $100,000, theyre teaching Maddon. Harry Kraemer is a professor of strategy, the former CEO of pharmaceutical firm Baxter International Inc., and a Cubs fan. He can fill an hour with animated talk about Maddon.My whole lecture the other night was literally on how Joe Maddon is a perfect example of a value-based leader, Kraemer said. Ive got 80 students who are into this in a big way.Going back to his Tampa Bay Ray days, Maddons reputation as an off-beat leader has gotten a lot of headlines. Hes a no worries kind of guy who shrugs off any trips to negative town.During last seasons pennant race, when the Cubs ultimately fell short, he was a leader trying to keep a very young team loose. There was Maddon on the field petting a flamingo named Warren , one of the zoo animals he had brought to Wrigley in August 2015 for the Cubs and their families. A few weeks later, the Cubs wore onesie pajamas home on an overnight flight from Los Angeles. Every player was part of it and, if the team photo of the odd moment is proof, most if not all had fun.There are also the Maddon-coined slogans, like Try not to suck, that have found their way to T-shirts seen around town.`Control the controllable, that has been my mantra ever since he said it a few weeks ago, said Elaine Maimon, Cubs fan and Governors State University president who wrote an article in early October on Maddons managerial gifts.Its not just the sloganeering and the funny stuff that Maddon gets right, admirers say. He trusts his players and assistants to do their job, understands how they fit into the team and finds a way to get value out of a guy like light-hitting, 39-year-old catcher David Ross.Maddon himself couldnt play it straight when asked about his management style and who he has learned from.Michael Scott, probably the biggest influence, Maddon said Friday before Game 3 against the Indians, referring to the less-than-gifted manager from The Office portrayed by actor Steve Carell.Tom Gimbel, the CEO of the recruiting firm LaSallle Network and a Cubs fan, said the Series is a showcase for good management -- Maddon, well-respected Indians boss Terry Francona and the man who at different times has hired both.dddddddddddd Cubs executive Theo Epstein hired Maddon, and he hired Francona in Boston when he was with the Red Sox.Its in the off-beat gestures where a lot of managers and business leaders hope theyre a little like Maddon. During one bad stretch of business at LaSalle, Gimbel said, he decided on a particularly miserable day that everyone needed a milk shake.It was crappy weather in Chicago and things were terrible, he said. Youve got to get people out of their own heads.Kraemer knows the value of such gestures. He said he spent hours sitting above dunk tanks at carnivals for Baxter employees so their kids could drop him in the water again and again. Nothing like dunking the boss.You end up finding ways to relate to people so you can influence them, Kraemer said. Hey, hes kind of crazy, too. Youre human like everybody else.Maddon worked in the shadows for years, first as a minor league player who never made the majors, then as a scout, coach and in other roles for 31 years before he became the Tampa Bay Rays manager in 2006.They dont see the amount of work (he) put in, Gimbel said. He wasnt a good professional player, he was a good student of the game.And without wins, the managerial tricks would soon look a whole lot less fun to the people he works for.If youve got a boss, and youre not delivering and your people are running around in pajamas, youve got a bigger problem, Kraemer said. Youre going to be fired.Not this year, and Maddon is quick to credit his former coaches for imparting common sense wisdom over the yearsAnd then beyond that, I think you take bits and pieces away from all the guys that you had, but theres a lot of guys you had that you thought did poorly, and you take a lot from them, also, because you never want to be that way, Maddon said. You gain experience, and you gain your ability or your ways in regards to doing things from those that are good, but you can really learn from the guys that you think do it poorly, too.---AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman contributed to this report.---Follow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP ' ' '