Kalvin Phillips answers doubters
Hands up - who had Kalvin Phillips down as the next Ruben Dias? The latest Manchester City signing is resigned to the fact that he won't start every game at his new club with Rodri so excellent in his preferred starting position - as outlined in this interview.
But while the Spaniard's presence has left some questioning why Phillips would want to leave Leeds to sit on the bench, the England international showed in his very first appearance as a Blue that there is more to his game than many give him credit for; he also pushed up into a double pivot for the final stages of the match.
Even if Pep Guardiola will surely only turn to him as a defender in an emergency, it bodes well for Phillips to have been able to show some versatility already.
ALSO READ: Kalvin Phillips says he would never have signed for Manchester United
De Bruyne takes the armband (and the headlines)
Kevin De Bruyne was only the fourth-choice captain last season at the club but he took the armband in Houston with Fernandinho having left the club, Ilkay Gundogan not on the trip and Ruben Dias absent through illness.
City's Belgian playmaker will have to wait for the squad vote to see if he is picked as Fernandinho's successor but he has already started this campaign on a better level; last year he was absent after playing through the Euros in serious pain and needing time away to recover.
Kids do well
Luke Mbete was the only academy player to start as Guardiola plumped for a strong lineup, before Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Cole Palmer came on in the second half. Mbete coped fine with the little he was asked to do, and the other two drove into the opposition box whenever they got a chance after the break.
Full-back in particular is never a position City are well stocked in and Oleksandr Zinchenko's departure leaves them even lighter. They intend to replace him but there is no timescale on when that will come, which opens a door for Wilson-Esbrand to show he can stick around the squad for the season.
James McAtee and Liam Delap were given 20 minutes, and Rico Lewis and Kayky the final 15 on the pitch.
Haaland wrapped up
Everyone wanted to see Erling Haaland start in Houston and that will be the case everywhere City go this season.
For Guardiola though, there is sense in wrapping up his prized asset until he really needs him - especially when the playing surface does not look quite like the Etihad bowling green. Haaland will need to get up to speed but can do it at his own pace with others able to step in as and when required.
For the moment at least, less is more with the £51m striker.
Winning start
Results don't matter in friendlies really but a win - and a win against a team who are in considerably better shape than them - will be appreciated by this City team as they head off to play on what they hope will be a better pitch in Green Bay against Bayern Munich.
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