SUNDERLAND'S players will get their first taste of America this afternoon with boss Mick McCarthy promising to turn up the heat on their pre-season preparations.

The Black Cats squad landed in North Carolina last night ahead of an 11-day training camp that will see McCarthy's side play three friendly games against local opposition.

A USL Carolina All-Star XI will provide the first test of Sunderland's summer squad strengthening but, before then, the American climate will have posed some problems of its own.

Last week's average temperature in North and South Carolina was a blistering 95 degrees, and conditions are not expected to ease during the next fortnight.

McCarthy admits that the heat and humidity will challenge his players as they step up their fitness ahead of the new Coca-Cola League campaign.

But, after his experiences with the Republic of Ireland in the last World Cup, he is adamant that the taxing conditions will help to ensure his players are in peak condition when they kick off against Coventry on August 7.

"It was a conscious decision to go somewhere hot," said the Sunderland boss, who will also oversee games against A-League outfit Charleston Battery and the Wilmington Hammerheads before flying back to England next Friday.

"We know that we will be training and playing in extremely testing conditions, but that will benefit us all when we come back - I'm sure of that.

"It is something I picked up from the last World Cup with the Republic of Ireland. We had a training camp before the competition started and we worked in extreme heat and high humidity.

"After that, fitness-wise, we felt that it was a doddle when we got to Japan. The players were incredibly fit and it came very easy for them.

"That's something I hope we will get from training in the heat of the Carolinas for the next ten days or so."

Meanwhile, new signing Stephen Elliott has pledged to use the summer tour to force his way into the first-team picture.

Elliott will be joined by fellow newcomers Carl Robinson, Liam Lawrence, Dean Whitehead and Stephen Caldwell in the States, with all five looking to press their claims for a starting berth.

The 20-year-old is the least experienced of the new arrivals. But, after failing to break into the Manchester City first team last season, he is determined to prove his worth during the next 11 days.

"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to show people what I can do and what I'm capable of," said Elliott, who was a prolific scorer in Manchester City's reserve team last season.

"I came to Sunderland for first-team football and I came here to score goals. I know I can do it and I'm desperate to get into the team and show everybody - hopefully the games in America can help me do that.

"We have three matches to play in America and I want to get off to a good start like everybody else."

With Kevin Kyle and Marcus Stewart the only other strikers on Sunderland's books, McCarthy remains confident of signing another frontman before the start of the new season.

West Ham have told Sunderland they can have David Connolly for £400,000, while Wolves have slapped a seven-figure price tag on the head of former Celtic striker Kenny Miller.

Arsenal's Francis Jeffers remains a more distant possibility, but McCarthy is unlikely to sanction any deal before his return to England.

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