2002 Major League Soccer season

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2002 Major League Soccer season
Season2002
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 played140
Goals scored421 (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 attendance2,215,019
Average attendance15,822
← 2001
2003 →
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Locations of teams for the 2002 Major League Soccer season
ButtonRed.svg Western Conference   ButtonBlue.svg Eastern Conference

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.

Contents

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.

Overview

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

TeamStadiumCapacity
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

TeamHead coachCaptainShirt sponsor
Chicago Fire Flag of the United States.svg Bob Bradley —
Colorado Rapids Flag of the United States.svg Tim Hankinson
Columbus Crew Flag of the United States.svg Greg Andrulis Pepsi
D.C. United Flag of England.svg Ray Hudson —
Dallas Burn Flag of the United States.svg Mike Jeffries
Kansas City Wizards Flag of the United States.svg Bob Gansler —
Los Angeles Galaxy Flag of the United States.svg Sigi Schmid —
MetroStars Flag of Ecuador.svg Octavio Zambrano Flag of the United States.svg Tab Ramos
New England Revolution Flag of Scotland.svg Steve Nicol —
San Jose Earthquakes Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Frank Yallop Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Agoos Yahoo! Sports

Coaching changes

TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyIncoming coachDate of appointment
New England Revolution Flag of the United States.svg Fernando Clavijo FiredMay 23, 2002 Flag of Scotland.svg Steve Nicol May 23, 2002

Standings

Eastern Conference

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 New England Revolution 28121424949038 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Columbus Crew 28111254443+138
3 Chicago Fire 28111344338+537
4 MetroStars 28111524147−635
5 D.C. United 2891453140−932
Source: MLS

Western Conference

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 2816934433+1151 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 San Jose Earthquakes 28141134535+1045
3 Dallas Burn 2812974443+143
4 Colorado Rapids 28131144348−543
5 Kansas City Wizards 2891093745−836
Source: MLS

Overall standings

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (C, S)2816934433+1151 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 San Jose Earthquakes 28141134535+1045
3 Dallas Burn 2812974443+143
4 Colorado Rapids 28131144348−543
5 New England Revolution 28121424949038 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
6 Columbus Crew 28111254443+138
7 Chicago Fire 28111344338+537
8 Kansas City Wizards 2891093745−836
9 MetroStars 28111524147−635
10 D.C. United 2891453140−932
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

MLS Cup Playoffs

Bracket

Quarterfinals Semifinals MLS Cup
             
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET)* (6 Points)3*1 5
8 Kansas City Wizards (3 Points)2 42
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (6 Points)41x
5 Colorado Rapids (0 Points)0 0 x
4 Dallas Burn (4 Points)40 1
5 Colorado Rapids (SDET)** (4 Points)2 11**
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET)* 1
2 New England Revolution 0
2 New England Revolution (6 Points)21 2
7 Chicago Fire (3 Points)0 20
2 New England Revolution (5 Points)0 12
6 Columbus Crew (2 Points)0 0 2
3 San Jose Earthquakes (0 Points)1 1 x
6 Columbus Crew (6 Points)22x

Quarterfinals

Kansas City Wizards 2–3 (AET) Los Angeles Galaxy
Preki Soccerball shade.svg25'
Brown Soccerball shade.svg70'		 Ruiz Soccerball shade.svg62' (pen.)Soccerball shade gold.svg99'
Jones Soccerball shade.svg85'
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
Attendance: 14,585
Kansas City Wizards 2–5 Los Angeles Galaxy
Klein Soccerball shade.svg47'
Preki Soccerball shade.svg72'		 Ruiz Soccerball shade.svg34'Soccerball shade.svg66'
Jones Soccerball shade.svg45'+, Soccerball shade.svg62'
Tennyson Soccerball shade.svg90+3'
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
Attendance: 14,713
New England Revolution 1–2 Chicago Fire
Kamler Soccerball shade.svg28' Razov Soccerball shade.svg43' (pen.), Soccerball shade.svg76'
Cardinal Stadium
Naperville, Illinois
Attendance: 9,434
Columbus Crew 2–1 San Jose Earthquakes
Buddle Soccerball shade.svg38'
García Soccerball shade.svg81'		 Donovan Soccerball shade.svg54'
Spartan Stadium
San Jose, California
Attendance: 8,069
San Jose Earthquakes 1–2 Columbus Crew
Graziani Soccerball shade.svg58' García Soccerball shade.svg50'
McBride Soccerball shade.svg81'
Columbus Crew Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 13,004
Colorado Rapids 2–4 Dallas Burn
Valderrama Soccerball shade.svg2'
Spencer (Pen) Soccerball shade.svg75'		 Morrow Soccerball shade.svg26'
Kreis Soccerball shade.svg49'
Deering Soccerball shade.svg68'
Martínez Soccerball shade.svg70'
Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 6,360
Dallas Burn 0–1 Colorado Rapids
Carrieri Soccerball shade.svg78'
INVESCO Field at Mile High
Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 9,637
Colorado Rapids 1–1 Dallas Burn
Spencer Soccerball shade.svg22' Rhine Soccerball shade.svg6'
Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 8,008

Semifinals

Colorado Rapids 0–4 Los Angeles Galaxy
Califf Soccerball shade.svg21'
Ruiz Soccerball shade.svg24'Soccerball shade.svg84'
Hendrickson Soccerball shade.svg71'
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
Attendance: 24,742

MLS Cup

Los Angeles Galaxy 1–0 (2OT) New England Revolution
Ruiz Soccerball shade gold.svg113' Report
Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Attendance: 61,316
Referee: Kevin Terry

Player statistics

Goals

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles Galaxy 24
2 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 23
3 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Cunningham Columbus Crew 16
4 Flag of the United States.svg Ante Razov Chicago Fire 14
Flag of Ecuador (1900-2009).svg Ariel Graziani San Jose Earthquakes
6 Flag of the United States.svg Jason Kreis Dallas Burn 13
7 Flag of Senegal.svg Mamadou Diallo New England Revolution,
MetroStars 		12
Flag of Brazil.svg Rodrigo Faria MetroStars
9 Flag of the United States.svg Chris Carrieri Colorado Rapids 11
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Chung Colorado Rapids
Flag of the United States.svg Chris Henderson Colorado Rapids

Assists

RankPlayerClubAssists
1 Flag of Jamaica.svg Andy Williams MetroStars 13
2 Flag of the United States.svg Steve Ralston New England Revolution 12
3 Flag of the United States.svg Preki Kansas City Wizards 8
4 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Chung Colorado Rapids 7
Flag of the United States.svg Cobi Jones Los Angeles Galaxy
Flag of Mexico.svg Antonio Martínez Dallas Burn
Flag of Colombia.svg Carlos Valderrama Colorado Rapids
8 Flag of the United States.svg Ramiro Corrales San Jose Earthquakes 6
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dwayne De Rosario San Jose Earthquakes
Flag of New Zealand.svg Simon Elliott Los Angeles Galaxy
Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Rhine Dallas Burn
Flag of Bolivia.svg Joselito Vaca Dallas Burn

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Cannon San Jose Earthquakes 8
2 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Rimando D.C. United 7
Flag of the United States.svg Zach Thornton Chicago Fire
4 Flag of the United States.svg Adin Brown New England Revolution 5
Flag of the United States.svg Jon Busch Columbus Crew
Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Hartman Los Angeles Galaxy
7 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Garlick Colorado Rapids 4
Flag of the United States.svg Tim Howard MetroStars
9 Flag of the United States.svg Matt Jordan Dallas Burn 3
Flag of the United States.svg Tony Meola Kansas City Wizards

Awards

Individual awards

AwardPlayerClub
Most Valuable Player Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles Galaxy
Defender of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Carlos Bocanegra Chicago Fire
Goalkeeper of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Joe Cannon San Jose Earthquakes
Coach of the Year Flag of Scotland.svg Steve Nicol New England Revolution
Rookie of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Martino Columbus Crew
Comeback Player of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Chris Klein Kansas City Wizards
Scoring Champion Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Twellman New England Revolution
Goal of the Year Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz Los Angeles Galaxy
Fair Play Award Flag of the United States.svg Mark Chung Colorado Rapids
Humanitarian of the Year Flag of the United States.svg Steve Jolley MetroStars

Best XI

GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwards
Flag of the United States.svg Tim Howard, MetroStars Flag of the United States.svg Wade Barrett, San Jose
Flag of the United States.svg Carlos Bocanegra, Chicago
Flag of the United States.svg Alexi Lalas, LA Galaxy 		Flag of the United States.svg Mark Chung, Colorado
Flag of Denmark.svg Ronnie Ekelund, San Jose
Flag of Colombia.svg Óscar Pareja, Dallas
Flag of the United States.svg Steve Ralston, New England 		Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Cunningham, Columbus
Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz, LA Galaxy
Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Twellman, New England

Attendance

ClubGamesTotalAverage
Colorado Rapids 14289,66320,690
Los Angeles Galaxy 14266,66419,047
MetroStars 14254,17418,155
Columbus Crew 14243,99917,429
New England Revolution 14236,97316,927
D.C. United 14231,26416,519
Dallas Burn 14183,70213,122
Chicago Fire 14180,90812,922
Kansas City Wizards 14171,56812,255
San Jose Earthquakes 14156,10411,150
Totals1402,215,01915,822

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References

  1. ↑ Yousuf, Saad (April 16, 2016). "MLS nearly folded in 2001 - FC Dallas president Dan Hunt". ESPN.com.
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