SPAIN whipped the United States 9-0 in a Junior World Cup Group C match at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru yesterday and in the process, made clear their intentions.
The other scorers were Salvador Piera (19th, 52nd), Diego Arana (23rd), Roc Oliva (43rd), Gabriel Dabanch (45th, 69th, 70th) and Xavier Lleonart (61st).
It was the second big defeat for the US following their 7-0 drubbing by South Korea on Sunday.
"We came here 10 days before the tournament started, but still needed 18 minutes to adjust to the conditions. But once the boys found their rhythm, the rest came in a package," said Spain coach Salvador Indurain.
"England are a good hockey-playing nation. We played against them twice and both were very close affairs," added Indurain.
"We won the first 1-0 (European Championship) and the second 5-3 (Seville Four-Nation), and I expect a tough encounter again." US coach Nicholas Conway feels the worse is over for his boys, and they will score against Malaysia.
"We have lost two matches by big margins, but I assure you that we will score against the hosts, and it would be a privilege to play in front of a packed gallery, if the crowd is the same as when Malaysia played England," said Conway.
Malaysia play the the US tomorrow at 7.30pm.
In a Group A match, defending champions Argentina also had a field day against Russia, when they went on a 9-3 rampage to stamp their mark.
