Wanderers blew some of the summer cobwebs out of their system with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Charlotte Eagles at the Transamerica Field.
Early goals in each half from Gary Cahill and Johan Elmander and a long-range Martin Petrov strike did the job for Owen Coyle's men in what was the perfect first fixture of pre-season for Bolton.
The energetic USL2 outfit provided a stern test, but ultimately it was the Whites class and clinical finishing which shone through.
Cahill towered to convert Martin Petrov's inswinging corner with just eight minutes played and that helped Wanderers settle into the contest.
And five minutes after the restart, Johan Elmander did his confidence the world of good by producing a tidy finish to get his pre-season tally up and running.
But the finest goal of the evening was saved until the 80th minute when man of the match Petrov marked his Whites debut with a stunning curling effort.
Prior to kick-off the two sets of players were introduced individually, one by one, before both the American and English anthems boomed out of the public address system.
There was a fantastic atmosphere as fans flocked into the 4,000 seater Transamerica Stadium, and as a result kick-off was in fact delayed by almost 15 minutes.
It didn't take long for the Whites get up and running as Gary Cahill towered to head past goalkeeper Corbin Waller with just eight minutes played.
The Eagles had started with real zest in the intense heat as both Leo Gibson and Josh Rife fired in early efforts, but Cahill made Wanderers first attack count, nodding into the net from Martin Petrov's inswinging corner.
Zat Knight had to make a crucial interception to prevent Jorge Herrera levelling just moments after the opener, and the Eagles didn't seem disheartened as Marcello Alves spun and blazed just wide also.
The pitch was showing signs of wear and tear due to the local climate but Wanderers still looked to pass and move with Petrov catching the eye on debut on the right side of midfield.
After a bright first 20 minutes, the pace, as predicted in the 89 degree heat, began to drop. However in the final quarter hour in the first half, conditions began to show and the game did become more stretched.
Robbie Blake almost seized on a Kevin Davies flicked header and ten minutes before the break, the debutant swept just wide after a near post assist from Zat Knight.
And Petrov, who had again been inch perfect with his delivery, gave the small pocket of travelling Wanderers fans an early sighter of his long-range capabilities with a thunderbolt from 30 yards that only missed the target by a few feet.
Wanderers had narrowly edged the first 45 minutes, but really should have gone into the break on level terms as Luke Williams side-footed over from just eight yards minutes before referee blew for half-time.
Indeed, there was still time for Andy O'Brien to come on as a substitute for Gary Cahill with Manager Owen Coyle taking no risks after the defender required treatment on his leg.
It was the first of a flurry of substitutions with eight more following at half-time. The only players to stay on the pitch were Sam Ricketts and Petrov.
It was the same for the hosts, as Eagles coach Mark Steffens also made no less than ten changes.
One of those was Ben Page, who forced Adam Bogdan into duty with a close-range effort which the Hungarian stopper did well to clutch on to.
Elmander's score-doubling goal came on 50 minutes with the forward coolly slotting into the goal from just inside of the box.
But the strike was all about Mark Davies' strong work in the middle of park as the diminutive 22-year-old rode a couple of challenges before providing the assist.
Petrov bent a free-kick over the bar shortly after the second goal but Charlotte continued to show plenty of spirit as Bentos headed tamely at goal and O'Brien showed plenty of experience to retreat and make a timely interception.
Elmander came close to notching his second with an acrobatic overhead kick on the hour mark but chances were rather few and far between in a leisurely paced second-half.
Indeed, the only chance that Bolton created in the last 20 minutes, they converted.
Riga had the vision to switch the ball over from left to right and Petrov, who had plenty of time and space, advanced before curling a splendid 25 yard shot with his left foot past the unmoved Lefebvre.
Adam Bogdan deserved credit for his impressive performance in the second-half after making a number of decent saves to preserve Wanderers clean sheet. The highlight was a full-stretched dive to tip Bentos' low effort around the post.
The tour now moves on to Charleston, where Wanderers will face the Battery on Saturday.
Charlotte Eagles:
First-half: Waller, Bryant, Guzman, Herrera, Williams, Gibson, Dalby, Alves, Toby, Safi, Rife.
Second-half: Lefebvre, Smith, Snelgrove (DeLass 70), Rife, Klotz, Ferrer, Page, Connor, Bentos, Dalby, Lemmons.
Bolton Wanderers:
First-half: Jaaskelainen, Ricketts, Cahill (Andy O'Brien 43), Knight, Robinson, Petrov, Gardner, Muamba, Taylor, Kevin Davies, Blake.
Second-half: Bogdan, Basham, O'Brien, Samuel, Ward, Cohen, Mark Davies, Elmander, Riga, Ricketts, Petrov.
