Emi Buendía was in fine form as Aston Villa kicked off their Premier League Summer Series campaign with a 3-3 draw against Newcastle United.
The Argentine teed up Ollie Watkins for the opener before bagging a brace at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Buendía felt a tough match against the Magpies was just what Villa needed to begin their three-match series Stateside.
He said: “It’s important to play these kinds of games against a Premier League opponent.
“They are a good opponent. We started well, showing our philosophy with the ball and trying to press high.
“They changed a little with their formation, playing three at the back, but then we tried to defend well.
“It was a good match to start this pre-season in the USA.”
Not satisfied with scoring twice, the 26-year-old felt he should have had a hat-trick when he went through one-on-one.
Buendía skewed his effort wide on that occasion but vowed to keep working hard as he looks to improve his game.
“I’m quite happy to score goals and get an assist again,” he said.
“I think I should have scored another one in the second half but I hadn’t been in that situation too often, so I didn’t know what to do.
“I’ll keep training those situations so that I can score the next one. I’m happy with the game today.”
Buendía was also quick to thank the fans for turning out in big numbers in Philadelphia, with the squad now heading to Orlando for their next game against Fulham.
“It was amazing, playing at such a big stadium with 40,000 people here,” he said.
“We have this amount of people every weekend at Villa Park, so we really felt the support here.”