North Carolina FC 2-4 Sunderland AFC
Sunderland AFC ended their pre-season tour of the United States with a 4-2 win against North Carolina FC.
Jay Matete opened the scoring in Cary with just four minutes played, with a low finish putting the Lads in command early on.
Tony Mowbray's side doubled their lead on the 15-minute mark, as Danny Batth headed home a Patrick Roberts' corner.
The winger took matters into his own hands and made it 3-0 late in the first half, with Jack Clarke adding a fourth before the interval.
Rafa Mentzingen pulled one back for the hosts and Louis Perez made it 4-2 before the hour mark, but the Black Cats regained control to ensure three wins from three in North America.
Sunderland opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock at WakeMed Park, as Matete drove forward and dispatched a low finish into the bottom corner.
After supplying the assist for Matete, Chris Rigg had the ball in the net for the third time in pre-season with 12 minutes played, but the whistle sounded prior to his well-taken finish due to an offside flag.
Batth headed home Sunderland's second a few minutes later, but the Black Cats were forced into a change when Matete limped off before the half-hour mark.
A batch of unforgiving strikes from Roberts and Clarke made it 4-0 before the break, but Jenson Seelt did take a knock late in the half and he was replaced by Joe Anderson ahead of the restart.
North Carolina pulled one back through Mentzingen with 52 minutes in the clock, with a solo strike from Perez further reducing the arrears just before the hour mark.
Clarke went close to adding a fifth for the Black Cats, but it remained 4-2 as the Lads secured their fifth win from five in pre-season.
Sunderland AFC: Patterson, Seelt (Anderson 45), Batth, Johnson (Hume 89), Gooch, Matete (Taylor 27), Rigg, Jobe, Roberts, Clarke, Bennette.