SUNDERLAND rounded off their tour of the United States with a convincing 4-2 victory over North Carolina.

The Black Cats scored four goals before the interval as they claimed their third Stateside victory, with Jay Matete, Danny Batth, Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke all finding the net.

Rafa Mentzingen and Louis Perez scored in the second half for North Carolina, but with Tony Mowbray keeping his changes to a minimum, Sunderland saw things out to complete a dominant success.

The deadlock was broken just four minutes in at WakeMed Park, with Matete driving forward before firing home a low finish.

Teenager Chris Rigg had a 12th-minute effort ruled out for offside, but Sunderland did not have to wait too much longer for their second goal as Batth headed home from Roberts’ corner.

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Matete limped off shortly before the half-hour mark, but the Black Cats continued to attack, with Roberts adding a third goal with a clinical finish.

Clarke scored a fourth shortly before half-time, but there was another injury concern as summer signing Jenson Seelt failed to reappear for the second half after suffering a knock before the interval.

North Carolina scored two goals in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, with Mentzingen firing home before Perez found the net with a fine solo effort, but with Clarke going close to adding a fifth, Sunderland regained control of the game to maintain their 100 per cent pre-season record.


SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1): Patterson; Seelt (Anderson 45), Batth, Johnson (Hume 89), Gooch; Matete (Taylor 27), Rigg; Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke; Bennette.