2002 Major League Soccer season
The 2002 Major League Soccer season was the seventh season of competition for Major League Soccer.
On January 8, 2002, MLS folded two of its teams. The Miami Fusion F.C. ceased operations after only four years in existence due to low attendance and an unfavorable stadium deal. The Tampa Bay Mutiny also ceased operations due to the lack of local ownership. MLS eliminated the Central Division and returned to its original two-conference alignment.
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.
Standings
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||||
| s – Los Angeles Galaxy | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 51 |
| x – San Jose Earthquakes | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 45 |
| x – Dallas Burn | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 43 |
| x – Colorado Rapids | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 43 | 48 | –5 | 43 |
| x – Kansas City Wizards | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 45 | –8 | 36 |
- Top eight teams with the highest points clinch play-off berth, regardless of conference.
y = Conference Winner
s = Supporters Shield/Conference winner
- New England Revolution wins first tiebreaker vs. Columbus Crew
Overall
| Club | Qualification | Head-to-head | |||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy ' ' | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 51 | 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | - |
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 45 | 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | - |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 43 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | DAL: 7 pts COL: 4 pts |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 43 | 48 | –5 | 43 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | DAL: 7 pts COL: 4 pts |
| 5 | New England Revolution ' | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 38 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | NE: 7 pts CLB: 4 pts |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 38 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | NE: 7 pts CLB: 4 pts |
| 7 | Chicago Fire | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 37 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | - |
| 8 | Kansas City Wizards | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 45 | -8 | 36 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | - |
| 9 | MetroStars | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 47 | –6 | 35 | - | |
| 10 | D.C. United | 28 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 31 | 40 | –9 | 32 | - |
Source:
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head record; 3rd goal difference; 4th number of goals scored.
' = MLS Supporters' Shield; ' = Eastern Conference champion; ' = Western Conference champion
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
' = Qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs, but not yet to the particular round indicated; ' = Eliminated from playoff-contention.
- – Since Los Angeles Galaxy won MLS Cup 2002 and the Supporters' Shield, San Jose Earthquakes qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup by finishing as Supporters' Shield runners-up.
- – Since MetroStars and D.C. United finished outside of the top eight in the league standings, they enter the U.S. Open Cup in the third round proper rather than fourth.
MLS Cup Playoffs
Bracket
- Points system
Loss = 0 Pts.
Draw = 1 Pt.
- ASDET*=Added Sudden Death Extra Time
Teams will advance at 5 points.
Conference Semi-finals
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6-3 on points.
- New England Revolution advance 6–3 on points.
- Columbus Crew advance 6–0 on points.
- Colorado Rapids advance in series overtime, after 4–4 tie on points.
Conference Finals
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance 6–0 on points.
- New England Revolution advance 5–2 on points.
MLS Cup
Attendance
| Club | Games | Season | Game Avg. |
| 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 |
| OVERALL | 140 | 2,215,019 | 15,822 |
Player statistics
Goals
Played for more than one team – Most Recent Team Listed*Awards
| Award | Player | Club |
| Most Valuable Player |  Carlos Ruiz | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Scoring Champion |  Taylor Twellman | New England Revolution |
| Defender of the Year | Carlos Bocanegra | Chicago Fire |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Joe Cannon | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Rookie of the Year | Kyle Martino | Columbus Crew |
| Coach of the Year |  Steve Nicol | New England Revolution |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Chris Klein | Kansas City Wizards |
| Goal of the Year | Carlos Ruiz | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Fair Play Award | Mark Chung | Colorado Rapids |
| Humanitarian of the Year | Steve Jolley | MetroStars |