The U.S. men's national water polo team, with two Long Beach players, defeated Brazil, 14-2, Thursday night in the UANA World Aquatics Championship Qualification Tournament in Calgary, Alberta.
The U.S. led 5-1 at the end of the first quarter, 9-2 at halftime and 12- 2 after three quarters.
Alex Bowen scored twice for the U.S. and Ryan Bailey (Long Beach), Bret Bonanni (Huntington Beach), Tommy Corcoran, Scott Davidson (Seal Beach) and J.P. MacDonnell once each. Highest team scorers were Nikola Vavic of Rancho Palos Verdes with four goals and Jesse Smith with three.
The U.S. will face Argentina Friday. The U.S. defeated Argentina, 16-6 and 14-8, in exhibitions Jan. 23 and Saturday at USC and Northwood High School in Irvine.
The U.S. will play in a semifinal Saturday and either the gold medal or bronze medal game Sunday. The top two finishers qualify for the world championship, which will be held in Barcelona, Spain this summer. The U.S. opened the tournament by losing to Canada, 10-6, on Wednesday.
