Help connecting with a friend

Hey everyone. Quickly just wanted to say I'm super hyped that so many people have gotten back into AOE since the glorious steam sales. That being said, a buddy of mine got the game from steam as well and we are having difficulty having a private match together. We just want to do simple stuff such as 1v1 each other or 2v2 so its us against bots. Anyone else having similar difficulties or any possible solutions? Thanks in advance and wololo