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The 2002 Major League Soccer season was the seventh season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 90th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 24th with a national first-division league.
| Season | 2002 |
|---|---|
| MLS Cup | Los Angeles Galaxy (1st title) |
| Supporters' Shield | Los Angeles Galaxy (2nd shield) |
| 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup | Los Angeles Galaxy New England Revolution San Jose Earthquakes |
| Matches played | 140 |
| Goals scored | 421 (3.01 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles Galaxy Goals: 24 |
| Highest attendance | Colorado Rapids Season: 289,663 Game Avg.: 20,690 |
| Lowest attendance | San Jose Earthquakes Season: 156,104 Game Avg.: 11,150 |
| Total attendance | 2,215,019 |
| Average attendance | 15,822 |
← 2001 2003 → | |
According to FC Dallas president Dan Hunt, the entire league nearly folded during the 2001 offseason.[1] The owners agreed to shut down the league on a conference call in November 2001, but within two days Lamar Hunt convinced the other owners to give the league another year.
On January 8, 2002, the league folded two of its teams, both of which were in Florida. The Miami Fusion ceased operations after only four years of existence due to low attendance and an unfavorable stadium deal. The Tampa Bay Mutiny also ceased operations due to the lack of local ownership. Additionally, the league eliminated the Central Division and returned to the original two-conference alignment.
Two new stadiums opened this season. The Colorado Rapids moved into Invesco Field at Mile High and the New England Revolution moved into CMGI Field, which was renamed Gillette Stadium on August 5. Additionally, due to renovations at Soldier Field, the Chicago Fire played at Cardinal Stadium in the western suburb of Naperville.
In an effort to lower costs, the number of games was reduced from 32 to 28, marking the fewest games played in league history. The playoffs were also reformatted as the teams with the 8 highest point totals qualified regardless of conference affiliation.
The regular season began on March 23, and concluded on September 22. The 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs began on September 25, and concluded with MLS Cup 2002 on October 20. After three previous losses in the final, the Los Angeles Galaxy won their first MLS Cup with a victory over the New England Revolution.
Season format
The season began on March 23 and concluded with MLS Cup on October 20. The 10 teams were split evenly into two conferences. Each team played 28 games that were evenly divided between home and away. Each team played every other team in their conference, and one designated opponent from the opposite conference, four times, and the remaining teams in the opposite conference twice.
The top eight teams regardless of conference qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The first round and conference finals were played as a three game series, and the first team to 5 points advanced. The winners of the conference finals advanced to MLS Cup.
The team with the most points in the regular season was awarded the MLS Supporters' Shield. Additionally, the winner of MLS Cup and the runner-up qualified for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | Cardinal Stadium | 15,000 |
| Colorado Rapids | Invesco Field at Mile High | 76,125 |
| Columbus Crew | Columbus Crew Stadium | 22,555 |
| D.C. United | RFK Stadium | 46,000 |
| Dallas Burn | Cotton Bowl | 92,100 |
| Kansas City Wizards | Arrowhead Stadium | 81,425 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | Rose Bowl | 92,542 |
| MetroStars | Giants Stadium | 80,200 |
| New England Revolution | CMGI Field | 68,756 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 |
Personnel and sponsorships
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Revolution |  Fernando Clavijo |
Fired | May 23, 2002 |  Steve Nicol |
May 23, 2002 |
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England Revolution | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 38 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Columbus Crew | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 38 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 37 | |
| 4 | MetroStars | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 35 | |
| 5 | D.C. United | 28 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 32 |
Source: MLS
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 51 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 45 | |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 43 | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 43 | 48 | −5 | 43 | |
| 5 | Kansas City Wizards | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 36 |
Source: MLS
Overall standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (C, S) | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 51 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 45 | |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 43 | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 43 | 48 | −5 | 43 | |
| 5 | New England Revolution | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 38 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 38 | |
| 7 | Chicago Fire | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 37 | |
| 8 | Kansas City Wizards | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 36 | |
| 9 | MetroStars | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 35 | |
| 10 | D.C. United | 28 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 32 |
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | MLS Cup | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET)* (6 Points) | 3* | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Kansas City Wizards (3 Points) | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (6 Points) | 4 | 1 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Colorado Rapids (0 Points) | 0 | 0 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Dallas Burn (4 Points) | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Colorado Rapids (SDET)** (4 Points) | 2 | 1 | 1** | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET)* | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New England Revolution | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New England Revolution (6 Points) | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | Chicago Fire (3 Points) | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | New England Revolution (5 Points) | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Columbus Crew (2 Points) | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Jose Earthquakes (0 Points) | 1 | 1 | x | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Columbus Crew (6 Points) | 2 | 2 | x | ||||||||||||||
- Points system
Win = 3 Pts.
Loss = 0 Pts.
Draw = 1 Pt. - ASDET*=Added Sudden Death Extra Time (Game tie breaker)
SDET**=Sudden Death Extra Time (Series tie breaker)
Teams will advance at 5 points.
Quarterfinals
| Kansas City Wizards | 2–3 (AET) | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
Preki  25' Brown 70' |
Ruiz 62' (pen.)  99'Jones 85' |
Attendance: 14,585
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 1–4 | Kansas City Wizards |
|---|---|---|
| Albright 71' |
Simutenkov 19' Quill 37' Preki 70' Fabbro 73' |
Attendance: 9,484
| Kansas City Wizards | 2–5 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| Klein 47' Preki 72' |
Ruiz 34' 66' Jones 45'+, 62' Tennyson 90+3' |
Attendance: 14,713
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6-3 on points.
| Chicago Fire | 0–2 | New England Revolution |
|---|---|---|
| Twellman 13' Hernández 60' |
Attendance: 6,306
| New England Revolution | 1–2 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Kamler 28' |
Razov 43' (pen.), 76' |
Attendance: 9,434
| Chicago Fire | 0–2 | New England Revolution |
|---|---|---|
| Kamler 12' Twellman 65' |
Attendance: 6,954
- New England Revolution advance 6–3 on points.
| Columbus Crew | 2–1 | San Jose Earthquakes |
|---|---|---|
| Buddle 38' García 81' |
Donovan 54' |
Attendance: 8,069
| San Jose Earthquakes | 1–2 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Graziani 58' |
García 50' McBride 81' |
Attendance: 13,004
- Columbus Crew advance 6–0 on points.
| Colorado Rapids | 2–4 | Dallas Burn |
|---|---|---|
| Valderrama 2' Spencer (Pen) 75' |
Morrow 26' Kreis 49' Deering 68' Martínez 70' |
Attendance: 6,360
Attendance: 9,637
| Colorado Rapids | 1–1 | Dallas Burn |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer 22' |
Rhine 6' |
Attendance: 8,008
- Colorado Rapids advance in series (sudden death) overtime, after 4–4 tie on points.
Semifinals
| Colorado Rapids | 0–4 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| Califf 21' Ruiz 24' 84' Hendrickson 71' |
Attendance: 24,742
Attendance: 12,367
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6–0 on points.
Attendance: 11,387
Attendance: 10,245
| Columbus Crew | 2–2 | New England Revolution |
|---|---|---|
| McBride 80' Washington 85' |
Ralston 17' Harris 47' |
Attendance: 9,216
- New England Revolution advance 5–2 on points.
MLS Cup
Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Cannon |
San Jose Earthquakes | 8 |
| 2 | Nick Rimando |
D.C. United | 7 |
| Zach Thornton |
Chicago Fire | ||
| 4 | Adin Brown |
New England Revolution | 5 |
| Jon Busch |
Columbus Crew | ||
| Kevin Hartman |
Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| 7 | Scott Garlick |
Colorado Rapids | 4 |
| Tim Howard |
MetroStars | ||
| 9 | Matt Jordan |
Dallas Burn | 3 |
| Tony Meola |
Kansas City Wizards | ||
Individual awards
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Howard, MetroStars |
Wade Barrett, San Jose Carlos Bocanegra, Chicago Alexi Lalas, LA Galaxy |
Mark Chung, Colorado  Ronnie Ekelund, San Jose Óscar Pareja, Dallas Steve Ralston, New England |
Jeff Cunningham, Columbus Carlos Ruiz, LA Galaxy Taylor Twellman, New England |
| Club | Games | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rapids | 14 | 289,663 | 20,690 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 14 | 266,664 | 19,047 |
| MetroStars | 14 | 254,174 | 18,155 |
| Columbus Crew | 14 | 243,999 | 17,429 |
| New England Revolution | 14 | 236,973 | 16,927 |
| D.C. United | 14 | 231,264 | 16,519 |
| Dallas Burn | 14 | 183,702 | 13,122 |
| Chicago Fire | 14 | 180,908 | 12,922 |
| Kansas City Wizards | 14 | 171,568 | 12,255 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 14 | 156,104 | 11,150 |
| Totals | 140 | 2,215,019 | 15,822 |
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