Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC player ratings vs Leeds United with four sevens in narrow defeat | OneFootball

Sunderland slipped to a narrow pre-season loss to Premier League rivals Leeds United in New Jersey, despite controlling long spells under Régis Le Bris.

According to Sunderland Echo, this was the second friendly of their US tour on Friday, with several World Cup players returning for the first time this summer.

Goalkeeper Melker Ellborg was caught high up the pitch and could not recover as Lukas Nmecha scored from range early. Leeds sat off and his distribution wavered under pressure to go long, though he later denied Dan James with a strong stop. He was rated five.

Nordi Mukiele impressed down the right, delivering a couple of dangerous crosses and defending soundly. He looked in good order ahead of the new season and was rated seven.

Dan Ballard navigated one awkward moment with neat footwork and otherwise handled his defensive work without alarm, a solid 45 minutes for a rating of six. Luke O’Nien tried to break lines from deep and was unfortunate a few passes did not quite connect, while defending well for a six.

Source: Sunderland Echo