Argentina beat Ecuador 2-1 to notch a second straight Copa America warm-up victory without Lionel Messi at a freezing MetLife stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday.
In other friendlies in the United States ahead of the June 11-July 4 tournament in Chile, Mexico beat Paraguay 1-0 and Venezuela overcame Peru by the same score.
Gerardo Martino’s Argentina, with captain Messi looking on again while he nurses a right foot injury, had beaten El Salvador 2-0 in Washington on Saturday.
They went in front after eight minutes on Tuesday when midfielder Javier Pastore glanced an Angel Di Maria corner towards the far post where striker Sergio Aguero headed his 22nd international goal and first since Argentina beat Germany 4-2 in a friendly last September.
“I thought this was a pretty good Argentina in general terms though we have a lot to work on with our coordination,” Martino told reporters.
“Messi is having trouble getting his boot on because of the pain, there’s no way he could play,” he added.
The match, which began in a sleet storm and was played in temperatures barely above freezing, was Gustavo Quinteros’s second in charge of Ecuador while defender Ayovi won his 100th cap.