MONTREAL – The Quebec Soccer Federation announced on Thursday that a team comprised of the best U20 players available in the province will take part in the 8th edition of the Jeux de la Francophonie, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from July 21 to 30, 2017.
The team will be named Canada-Québec and will be coached by Valerio Gazzola and assistant Andrew Olivieri.
As an Impact partner, Soccer Québec will select many eligible players from the Montreal Impact Academy.
“It’s a great opportunity for the older players from the Academy to compete in an international event and meet high-level teams,” said the Academy director Philippe Eullaffroy.
In the past, despite cooperation between the Quebec Soccer Federation and the Canadian Soccer Association, the team representing the country at the Jeux de la Francophonie was managed by the CSA.
For several years, the Quebec Soccer Federation showed its interest to manage this team and, to the delight of its managers, Heritage Canada, the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec made a deal to put the team in the hands of Soccer Quebec.
The Quebec team will leave Montreal on July 14 for Casablanca, Morocco, where it will hold one last training camp, before leaving for Ivory Coast.
In the group stage, Canada-Québec will face France, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti.
Schedule
Saturday, July 22
Canada-Québec vs Democratic Republic of Congo
Monday, July 24
France vs Canada-Québec
Wednesday, July 26
Canada-Québec vs Haiti
