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2002 Major League Soccer season
7th season of Major League Soccer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
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.
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Overview
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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
Personnel and sponsorships
Coaching changes
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Standings
Eastern Conference
Source: MLS
Western Conference
Source: MLS
Overall standings
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
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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 | 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
Attendance: 14,585
Attendance: 9,484
Attendance: 14,713
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6-3 on points.
Attendance: 6,306
Attendance: 9,434
Attendance: 6,954
- New England Revolution advance 6–3 on points.
Attendance: 8,069
Attendance: 13,004
- Columbus Crew advance 6–0 on points.
Attendance: 6,360
Attendance: 9,637
Attendance: 8,008
- Colorado Rapids advance in series (sudden death) overtime, after 4–4 tie on points.
Semifinals
Attendance: 24,742
Attendance: 12,367
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6–0 on points.
Attendance: 11,387
Attendance: 10,245
Attendance: 9,216
- New England Revolution advance 5–2 on points.
MLS Cup
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Player statistics
Goals
Hat-tricks
Assists
Clean sheets
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Awards
Individual awards
Best XI
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Attendance
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References
External links
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