Ex-Syrian players form opposition team in exile

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AP) — A group of Syrian refugees, all former professional soccer players and members of the national youth team in the war-wrecked country, came together in neighboring Lebanon over the past year to execute an ambitious task: Form an opposition team in exile that would become Syria’s national team after the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government.

The squad of refugee players is formally known as the Free Syrian National Team. On rare occasions, when they play against a local club in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, they sport their version of the national uniform: black-and-white jerseys adorned with a Syrian revolutionarily flag with three — instead of two— stars, pressing against their hearts.