Sunderland suffered a second consecutive pre-season defeat in the USA with a narrow loss to Premier League rivals Leeds United in New Jersey.
As the Black Cats debuted their new home strip for the 2026/27 season, their performance was less triumphant than that of the 1937-inspired shirt.
Sunderland suffered their second defeat on the bounce amid their USA pre-season tour in the early hours of Friday morning with a narrow 1-0 defeat to bitter Premier League rivals Leeds United.
The Black Cats took on Daniel Farke's side, who finished seven places below their fellow newly-promoted foes last season in the top flight table, at the Sports Illutsrated Stadium in New Jersey in the second outing of their three-game North American trip.
Following the 4-2 defeat against Liverpool, Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris welcomed back five marquee players to his squad, but to no avail as Leeds won courtesy of an early goal from Lukas Nmecha.
It took Leeds just eight minutes to breach the Sunderland defence, after the Black Cats were punished for rare loose possession by Enzo Le Fee in the centre of the park.
Nmecha got the better of number two goalkeeper Melker Ellborg with a shock long-range effort that the Swedish shot-stopper ought to have dealt with better.
Sunderland remained a threat to Leeds throughout the affair, with Brian Brobbey missing a chance to level the scores on his return to red-and-white action following his exploits at the World Cup for the Netherlands, but the bullish number nine failed to convert.
In the second 45', Sunderland came close to levelling courtesy of in-form academy talent Timur Tutierov, with the Ukrainian youth international's header glancing just wide of the Leeds post before troubling Whites goalkeeper Alex Cairns with a low strike late in the pre-season affair.
Despite the second consecutive pre-season loss to Premier League opposition, Sunderland boss Le Bris remained positive as he offered his post-match thoughts on the defeat to Leeds, outlining that his side "are getting better" as pre-season progresses.
Régis Le Bris Reacts To Sunderland's 1-0 Defeat to Leeds United
Le Bris told Sunderland's media: "Yeah, it was a good test.
"I think we felt today that the standards are getting higher because of the opposition, but also because we feel that the energy of the squad is getting better as well.
"So we still have a few details to solve and to fix, and it's probably better to make mistakes now to understand what could be the consequence rather than being exposed later.
"So overall, I appreciated the energy. Our principles, I think, are getting better as well, so we are in a good place."
Following the defeat to Leeds, Sunderland now travel to Philadelphia to conclude their three-game USA trip against Championship outfit Wrexham, who finished just one spot outside of the second tier play-offs last season under former failed Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson.
