West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Irvine was happy with their tough test against Sacramento Republic.
The Baggies won 1-0 in California thanks to Graham Dorrans' 13th-minute penalty.
"It was always going to be a tough test because they're right in the middle of their season," said Irvine to the WBA website.
"Sacramento have played a lot of games and are obviously at their peak.
"The heat at the start of the game was also a problem.
"What did I expect out of it? When I spoke to the players before the game, it was again about getting some more fitness, and them playing 90 minutes, which a number of them did.
"For some of them, that was a big step up because they've only played 45 minutes so far.
"For example, Sebastien Pocognoli said to me afterwards that it's the first full game he's played for four months, which was obviously a big test for him.
"In fact, for most of the boys, that will have been their first full game for several months."
Craig Gardner was sent off on his WBA debut.
"I felt it was poor to send Craig off - it wasn't a good decision," added Irvine.
