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Spain Team Page

Squad

Coach: Gines Melendez

Roster:

Goalkeepers: Adan, Angel Bernabe, Javi Martine

Defenders: Antonio Barragan, Roberto Canella, Jose Crespo, Gorka Elustondo, Gerard Pique, Marc Valiente

Midfielders: Toni Calvo, Javi Garcia, Marcos Garcia, Adrian Gonzalez, Iriome Gonzalez, Esteban Granero, Adrian Lopez, Sunny Stephen, Mario Suare

Forwards: Alberto Bueno, Diego Capel, Juan Manuel Mata

Scouting Report

Strengths: Spain has quality players in defence (Gerard Pique), midfield (Juan Manuel Mata and Mario Suarez) and in attack (Diego Capel and goal scorer Alberto Bueno). Goals won't be a problem for the Spaniards – they scored 32 in the qualifiers, while conceding only seven. Spain also has a leg up on its opponents in experience in that many players are youth team members for some of the biggest clubs in the Spanish first division.

Weaknesses: Like their senior team counterparts, the Spanish youth team has a long record of underachievement. Spain has played in all but four U-20 World Cups, but only has one title to its credit, leading to the team's inferiority complex. There's also some doubt as to whether Spain can beat the world's elite youth teams after suffering a loss to Italy last October that cost them a spot at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Player to watch: Alberto Bueno led Spain to the 2006 UEFA European U-19 Championship title, as the star striker shared the tournament top-scorer award after scoring three goals. Bueno has shown a knack for unlocking tight defences. Currently a member of Real Madrid's 'B' team, Bueno hopes a strong showing in Canada can help him earn a spot on Real Madrid's main roster.

Prognosis: Spain is one of the tournament favourites for good reason. The Spaniards won last year's UEFA U-19 Championship in convincing fashion, and claimed the U-20 World Cup title in 1999. It also finished as the runner-up in 2003 and reached the quarter-finals two years ago. Uruguay poses a stern test, but the Spaniards will have no problems beating tournament debutantes Jordan and Zambia. With such a potent attack and a depth of quality players at their disposal, anything less than a spot in the semifinals would have to be considered a shock. Spain is hungry and as the reigning European champions, it has a great deal of momentum and confidence. Don't be surprised if Spain is the last team standing.

ROAD TO THE U-20 WORLD CUP

2007 qualification route: Spain won the 2006 UEFA European U-19 Football Championship.

Qualifying record: 8 games played, 7 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw

Goals for: 32 Goals against: 7

Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Alberto Bueno (8)

Qualifying results:

UEFA European U-19 Football Championship 2006 elite qualifying round (group 7)

May 26, 2006 – Spain 4, Sweden 0 in Callosa de Segura, Spain

May 28, 2006 – Spain 8, Cyprus 1 in Torrevieja, Spain

May 30, 2006 – Germany 1, Spain 3 in Torrevieja, Spain

Group finals (group B) – all games in Poland

July 18, 2006 – Spain 5, Turkey 3

July 20, 2006 – Scotland 0, Spain 4

July 23, 2006 – Portugal 1, Spain 1

Championship semifinals

July 26, 2006 – Spain 5, Austria 0

Championship final

July 29, 2006 – Spain 2, Scotland 1

U-20 World Cup 1st round matches (all times local)

July 1 vs. Uruguay in Burnaby, B.C. (Swangard Stadium) at 17:00

July 4 vs. Zambia in Burnaby, B.C. (Swangard Stadium) at 19:45

July 7 vs. Jordan in Burnaby, B.C. (Swangard Stadium) at 14:15

U-20 WORLD CUP HISTORY

Spain has taken part in all but four FIFA U-20 World Cups – Mexico 1983, Chile 1987, Australia 1993 and Argentina 2001 – and captured the world title in 1999 in Nigeria. The Spaniards have also had two second-place finishes (2003, 1985) and one fourth-place showing (1995).

Number of Previous U-20 World Cup Appearances: 9

All-time record: 49 games played, 30 wins, 5 draws, 14 losses

Goals for: 66 Goals against: 35

Biggest victory: 7-0 vs. China in 2005

Biggest defeat: 0-3 vs. Argentina in 1985

Hosted the U-20 World Cup: never

1977 – First round

1979 – Quarter-finals

1981 – First round

1983 – Did not qualify

1985 – Runner-up

1987 – Did not qualify