Playing against perennial Italian power Juventus brought out the best in New York Red Bulls' youngsters Jeremy Hall and Conor Chinn.
Hall and Chinn scored in a five-minute, second-half span and the Red Bulls routed Juventus 3-1 Sunday in an exhibition game the popular Serie A team played without some its stars because of World Cup preparations.
Juventus did have Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Fabio Grosso and Diego in their lineup, but they proved no problem for a Red Bulls team that fielded its younger players and rested the majority of its starters.
``We were all excited, standing in the lineup next to Del Piero and Grosso, and all those guys,'' the 21-year-old Hall said. ``It's an unbelievable feeling. But once you get on the field, we have nothing to lose. It's a friendly. These are top international players, so just go out and play some fun.''
The Red Bulls had a great time, especially in the second half when their three-goal outburst capped by a 75th minute tally by Juan Pablo Angel silenced the mostly pro-Juventus crowd of 18,735.
``I think everyone was excited just to play a team like Juventus,'' said Chinn, who left the game after being hit in the head. ``I think it was a thing where we had to treat them with respect, but not too much respect.''
Amauri came on as a second-half substitute for Juventus and scored in the 90th minute to the delight the Italian supporters, many of whom wore the Serie A club's vertical black and white colors.
Luigi Del Neri, who was hired as Juventus' new coach last week, was not at the game. Interim coach Alberto Zaccheroni was in charge.
Juventus also was missing goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini, midfielders Mauro Camoranesi and Claudio Marchisio, and forward Vincenzo Iaquinta. They are trying to make Italy's World Cup squad.
Juventus finished the 2009-10 season in a disappointing seventh place.
Diego said playing a postseason exhibition game was tough because the team was tired. The trip was nice though, he said.
``It's like a party, but of course every time you are on the field you want to win,'' Diego said.
Before Amauri's goal, Del Piero had the best chance for Juventus. He slammed a shot off the top left corner of the goal in the 41st minute.
Hall got the game winner in the 50th minute after Irving Garcia's 25-yard shot bounced off the crossbar. Hall chested down the rebound and rolled the ball past goalkeeper Alex Manninger.
Chinn scored somewhat of a controversial goal five minutes later, taking a long pass from Roy Miller and beating Manninger one-on-one. The Italians felt Chinn was offsides on the play.
Angel and Dane Richards, who both came on in the second half for the Red Bulls, closed out the scoring. Richards raced down the right side and sent a cross that Angel had no problem putting into the net past a defenseless Manninger.
Manninger felt each team had its chances in the first half, but Juventus had concentration lapses in the second.
``There was about 15 minutes where we didn't play football and this is where we conceded the goals,'' Manninger said. ``It was too easy. It was a result where everywhere in the world you concede goals like this you will lose a game.''
Trezeguet, the former French World Cup star who played in the first half, felt the game was good for soccer in the United States.
``We're happy, aside from the result,'' Trezeguet said. ``We saw there were Italian fans. There were no conditions for us to play a great match but we're happy no one got hurt. We're going to Canada to continue this tour and then we are going on vacation.''
