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RECAP: Leeds United beats Sunderland in Quiet New Jersey Friendly, 1-0
The Premier League returned to Sports Illustrated Stadium on Thursday night as Leeds United FC and Sunderland AFC clashed in a preseason friendly.
The two sides played fast, but an early error gave Leeds the 1-0 win off a Lukas Nmecha goal.
Unlike Wednesday’s match at Yankee Stadium between Liverpool and Wrexham, Thursday in Harrison was a smaller affair.
Both teams have smaller US fanbases. Neither is the top team in English Football. Neither has a documentary series about them.
Because of that, the crowd was contained to the lower bowl of SIS, about 8,000, mostly Leeds fans.
Leeds only needed eight minutes to take the lead. In terms of grace, Sunderland shows that preseason has a purpose.
A quick feed found Leeds’ Lukas Nmecha 40 yards out from goal. He takes a surprising shot, as backup Sunderland keeper Melker Ellborg paces back.
Ellborg seemingly loses his balance, falling backward as the ball rolls past him, off the right post, and into the goal.
Nmecha told Leeds United TV that it was “nice to get a first win” after their 3-2 defeat by Championship side Wrexham in their opening pre-season game.
“This is for getting fitness and back up to speed, but a winning mentality is definitely something we also need to train,” Nmecha said.
The majority of the Leeds crowd was happy at the game. Despite being under 10,000, the voices rang out plenty. Leeds supporters singing “Marching On Together” moments before kickoff was a great sight. Did it compare to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Wednesday? No. But for those fans, it meant the world. And that’s what really matters when your team from abroad visits your country.
Leeds wasn’t afraid to use this game to experiment. Head coach Daniel Farke had starters Gabriel Gudmundsson, Jayden Bogle, and Harry Wilson in his starting XI. Those players had been missing from the team’s 3-2 loss to Wrexham earlier in the tour. Also, defender Tarik Muharemovic got a start. Leeds’ newest signing from Sassuolo started three games for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup. That includes drawing the now red-card foul from Folarin Balogun during the USMNT’s Round of 32 win.
The second-half complete rotation saw the introduction of winger Daniel James for Leeds, replacing Wilson. One of the best performers for Leeds on the night was Muharemović. He played nearly as many minutes as any player, going until about the 86th minute. That stint included multiple solid moments.
In the 17th minute, as Enzo Le Fee went to pressure him on the edge of the area, Muharemović spun away and found the first of two good passes out of danger. His blocking a Trai Hume shot in the first half was a moment that got the crowd on their feet. The full-back entered the Leeds area from Sunderland’s right and came onto the ball for a shot, but the defender stood tall.
Sunderland couldn’t equalize as they were dealt a second straight loss in the United States. Leeds, after winning their first of this tour, will face Liverpool at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday.
Sunderland will make the short trip to Philadelphia for a Sunday meeting with Wrexham AFC.
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