Red Bulls open stadium with 3-1 win over Santos

Lindpere scored from the rebound of his own free kick in the 11th minute, Petke added a goal in the 43rd and Richards made it 3-0 two minutes later. Germano headed in Santos' goal in the final minute.

A sellout crowd of 25,000 filled the long-discussed and much-delayed stadium.

The biggest stars were missing from this match because of injury Santos' Robinho and New York's Juan Pablo Angel.

German football great Franz Beckenbauer, who played for the then New York Cosmos in the latter stages of his career, was on hand to mark the moment the stadium opening.

When the player they called “Der Kaiser” played for the Cosmos from 1977-80, they filled up Giants Stadium in nearby East Rutherford with crowd of nearly 80,000. But with Major League Soccer mostly lacking the biggest stars, the Red Bulls averaged just 12,491 fans for league home games last year, 12th among 15 teams.

And they were forced to play on artificial turf on a field that was slightly too narrow. Now they're in a gleaming stadium that looks like it could have been transplanted from a wealthy regional club in central Europe, with a translucent glass roof over the seats to protect fans from rain.

“30 or 40 years ago, almost no one in the country played the game, and it takes time,” Beckenbauer said. “Also, it's a question of tradition. So it takes time to get used to, to compete with the best teams in world, which you are doing now.”

In a league that will miss its biggest draw, Los Angeles midfielder David Beckham, for most if not all of this season because of his torn Achilles' tendon, the Red Bulls hope to add a star later this year. Barcelona's Thierry Henry and Real Madrid's Raul Gonzalez often are mentioned as possibilities.

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