From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2002 Major League Soccer season
7th season of Major League Soccer
7th season of Major League Soccer
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| season | 2002 |
| num_teams | 10 |
| mlscup | Los Angeles Galaxy (1st title) |
| shield | Los Angeles Galaxy (2nd shield) |
| continentalcup1 | 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| continentalcup1 qualifiers | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| New England Revolution | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | |
| league topscorer | Carlos Ruiz |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | |
| Goals: 24 | |
| matches | 140 |
| total goals | 421 |
| highest attendance | Colorado Rapids |
| Season: 289,663 | |
| Game Avg.: 20,690 | |
| lowest attendance | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Season: 156,104 | |
| Game Avg.: 11,150 | |
| attendance | 2,215,019 |
| average attendance | 15,822 |
| prevseason | 2001 |
| nextseason | 2003 |
New England Revolution San Jose Earthquakes Los Angeles Galaxy Goals: 24 Season: 289,663 Game Avg.: 20,690 Season: 156,104 Game Avg.: 11,150
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.
According to FC Dallas president Dan Hunt, the entire league nearly folded during the 2001 offseason. 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
Main article: List of Major League Soccer stadiums
| 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
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | USA Bob Bradley | — | |
| Colorado Rapids | USA Tim Hankinson | ||
| Columbus Crew | USA Greg Andrulis | Pepsi | |
| D.C. United | ENG Ray Hudson | — | |
| Dallas Burn | USA Mike Jeffries | ||
| Kansas City Wizards | USA Bob Gansler | — | |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | USA Sigi Schmid | — | |
| MetroStars | ECU Octavio Zambrano | USA Tab Ramos | — |
| New England Revolution | SCO Steve Nicol | — | |
| San Jose Earthquakes | CAN Frank Yallop | USA Jeff Agoos | Yahoo! Sports |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Revolution | USA Fernando Clavijo | Fired | May 23, 2002 | SCO Steve Nicol | May 23, 2002 |
Standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Overall standings
MLS Cup Playoffs
Bracket
| score-width=20px | team-width=260px | RD1-seed1=1 | RD1-team1=Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET)* (6 Points) | RD1-score1-1=3* | RD1-score1-2=1 | RD1-score1-3=5 | RD1-seed2=8 | RD1-team2=Kansas City Wizards (3 Points) | RD1-score2-1=2 | RD1-score2-2=4 | RD1-score2-3=2 | RD1-seed3=4 | RD1-team3=Dallas Burn (4 Points) | RD1-score3-1=4 | RD1-score3-2=0 | RD1-score3-3=1 | RD1-seed4=5 | RD1-team4=Colorado Rapids (SDET)** (4 Points) | RD1-score4-1=2 | RD1-score4-2=1 | RD1-score4-3=1** | RD1-seed5=2 | RD1-team5=New England Revolution (6 Points) | RD1-score5-1=2 | RD1-score5-2=1 | RD1-score5-3=2 | RD1-seed6=7 | RD1-team6=Chicago Fire (3 Points) | RD1-score6-1=0 | RD1-score6-2=2 | RD1-score6-3=0 | RD1-seed7=3 | RD1-team7=San Jose Earthquakes (0 Points) | RD1-score7-1=1 | RD1-score7-2=1 | RD1-score7-3=x | RD1-seed8=6 | RD1-team8=Columbus Crew (6 Points) | RD1-score8-1=2 | RD1-score8-2=2 | RD1-score8-3=x | RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1=Los Angeles Galaxy (6 Points) | RD2-score1-1=4 | RD2-score1-2=1 | RD2-score1-3=x | RD2-seed2=5 | RD2-team2=Colorado Rapids (0 Points) | RD2-score2-1=0 | RD2-score2-2=0 | RD2-score2-3=x | RD2-seed3=2 | RD2-team3=New England Revolution (5 Points) | RD2-score3-1=0 | RD2-score3-2=1 | RD2-score3-3=2 | RD2-seed4=6 | RD2-team4=Columbus Crew (2 Points) | RD2-score4-1=0 | RD2-score4-2=0 | RD2-score4-3=2 | RD3-seed1=1 | RD3-team1=Los Angeles Galaxy (ASDET)* | RD3-score1=1 | RD3-seed2=2 | RD3-team2=New England Revolution | RD3-score2=0
- 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
Brown Jones Pasadena, California
Quill
Preki
Fabbro
Kansas City, Missouri
Preki
Jones +,
Tennyson
Pasadena, California|
attendance = 14,713
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6-3 on points.
Hernández Foxborough, Massachusetts
stadium = Cardinal Stadium Naperville, Illinois
Twellman Foxborough, Massachusetts
- New England Revolution advance 6–3 on points.
García San Jose, California
McBride Columbus, Ohio
- Columbus Crew advance 6–0 on points.
Spencer (Pen)
Kreis
Deering
Martínez
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Dallas, Texas date = | team1 = | score = 1–0 series OT (ASDET) | team2 = | goals1 = Chung | goals2 = | stadium = }}
- Colorado Rapids advance in series (sudden death) overtime, after 4–4 tie on points.
Semifinals
Ruiz
Hendrickson
Pasadena, California
Denver, Colorado
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6–0 on points.
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Columbus, Ohio
Washington Harris Foxborough, Massachusetts
- New England Revolution advance 5–2 on points.
MLS Cup
Main article: MLS Cup 2002
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Player statistics
Goals
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GUA Carlos Ruiz | Los Angeles Galaxy | 24 |
| 2 | USA Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution | 23 |
| 3 | USA Jeff Cunningham | Columbus Crew | 16 |
| 4 | USA Ante Razov | Chicago Fire | 14 |
| ECU Ariel Graziani | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| 6 | USA Jason Kreis | Dallas Burn | 13 |
| 7 | SEN Mamadou Diallo | New England Revolution, | |
| MetroStars | 12 | ||
| BRA Rodrigo Faria | MetroStars | ||
| 9 | USA Chris Carrieri | Colorado Rapids | 11 |
| USA Mark Chung | Colorado Rapids | ||
| USA Chris Henderson | Colorado Rapids |
Hat-tricks
Main article: List of Major League Soccer hat-tricks
| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA Ante Razov | Chicago Fire | New England Revolution | 3–1 | |
| USA Bobby Rhine | Dallas Burn | Colorado Rapids | 4–1 | |
| SEN Mamadou Diallo4 | MetroStars | Los Angeles Galaxy | 5–0 | |
| USA Chris Carrieri | Colorado Rapids | Chicago Fire | 3–2 | |
| GUA Carlos Ruiz | Los Angeles Galaxy | MetroStars | 3–0 | |
| USA Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution | D.C. United | 2–0 |
Assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JAM Andy Williams | MetroStars | 13 |
| 2 | USA Steve Ralston | New England Revolution | 12 |
| 3 | USA Preki | Kansas City Wizards | 8 |
| 4 | USA Mark Chung | Colorado Rapids | 7 |
| USA Cobi Jones | Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| MEX Antonio Martínez | Dallas Burn | ||
| COL Carlos Valderrama | Colorado Rapids | ||
| 8 | USA Ramiro Corrales | San Jose Earthquakes | 6 |
| CAN Dwayne De Rosario | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| NZL Simon Elliott | Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| USA Bobby Rhine | Dallas Burn | ||
| BOL Joselito Vaca | Dallas Burn |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean |
|---|---|---|---|
| sheets | |||
| 1 | USA Joe Cannon | San Jose Earthquakes | 8 |
| 2 | USA Nick Rimando | D.C. United | 7 |
| USA Zach Thornton | Chicago Fire | ||
| 4 | USA Adin Brown | New England Revolution | 5 |
| USA Jon Busch | Columbus Crew | ||
| USA Kevin Hartman | Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| 7 | USA Scott Garlick | Colorado Rapids | 4 |
| USA Tim Howard | MetroStars | ||
| 9 | USA Matt Jordan | Dallas Burn | 3 |
| USA Tony Meola | Kansas City Wizards |
Awards
Individual awards
| Award | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | GUA Carlos Ruiz | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Defender of the Year | USA Carlos Bocanegra | Chicago Fire |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | USA Joe Cannon | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Coach of the Year | SCO Steve Nicol | New England Revolution |
| Rookie of the Year | USA Kyle Martino | Columbus Crew |
| Comeback Player of the Year | USA Chris Klein | Kansas City Wizards |
| Scoring Champion | USA Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution |
| Goal of the Year | GUA Carlos Ruiz | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Fair Play Award | USA Mark Chung | Colorado Rapids |
| Humanitarian of the Year | USA Steve Jolley | MetroStars |
Best XI
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA Tim Howard, MetroStars | USA Wade Barrett, San Jose | ||
| USA Carlos Bocanegra, Chicago | |||
| USA Alexi Lalas, LA Galaxy | USA Mark Chung, Colorado | ||
| DEN Ronnie Ekelund, San Jose | |||
| COL Óscar Pareja, Dallas | |||
| USA Steve Ralston, New England | USA Jeff Cunningham, Columbus | ||
| GUA Carlos Ruiz, LA Galaxy | |||
| USA Taylor Twellman, New England |
Attendance
| 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 |
References
References
- Yousuf, Saad. (April 16, 2016). "MLS nearly folded in 2001 - FC Dallas president Dan Hunt". ESPN.com.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 2002 Major League Soccer season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report