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| Event | MLS Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Aftergolden goalextra time | |||||||
| Date | October 20, 2002 | ||||||
| Venue | Gillette Stadium,Foxborough, Massachusetts, US | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Carlos Ruiz (Los Angeles Galaxy) | ||||||
| Referee | Kevin Terry | ||||||
| Attendance | 61,316 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C) | ||||||
←2001 2003 → | |||||||
MLS Cup 2002 was the seventh edition of theMLS Cup, the championship match ofMajor League Soccer (MLS), which took place on October 20, 2002. It was hosted atGillette Stadium inFoxborough, Massachusetts, and contested by theNew England Revolution and theLos Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the2002 season. The Revolution, who were named hosts before the season, were playing in their first MLS Cup; Los Angeles had lost in all three of their previous cup appearances.
Los Angeles won their first championship 1–0 in the second overtime on asudden-death goal scored byCarlos Ruiz. The match was attended by 61,316 spectators, the largest figure for any MLS Cup until2018. It was also the last MLS final to end with agolden goal.
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CMGI Field inFoxborough, Massachusetts, home of the New England Revolution and theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL), was announced as theneutral-site venue of the MLS Cup on February 13, 2002.[1][2] The new stadium was built to replace the formerFoxboro Stadium, which had hosted theinaugural MLS Cup in 1996 and the1999 edition.[3][4] CMGI Field was later renamed Gillette Stadium in August after thenaming rights were sold toGillette.[5][6] Approximately 20,000 tickets were sold by October 10, but sales reached 55,000 after the Revolution advanced from the Conference Finals, and were on pace to match or surpass the MLS Cup attendance record of 57,431 set in1997.[7][8] The stadium's capacity was restricted to 60,000 seats, excluding thebox and club seats, and the field itself measured 75 by 106 yards (69 m × 97 m), wider than the configuration used in 1999 at Foxboro Stadium.[9]
TheMLS Cup is the post-season championship ofMajor League Soccer (MLS), a professional club soccer league based in the United States. The2002 season was the seventh in the league's history and was contested by ten teams in two conferences following the folding of two teams inFlorida and the reorganization of theCentral Division.[10][11] Each team played a total of 28 matches in the regular season, which ran from March to September, facing teams within their conference four times and outside of their conference two times.[12] The playoffs ran from late September to October and was contested by the top eight teams overall, with the top two teams in each conference given a higher seed regardless of overall standing.[13] The playoffs were organized into three rounds, the first two being ahome-and-away series organized into a best-of-three format with the first team to earn five points advancing, and the single-match MLS Cup final.[14]
MLS Cup 2002 was contested by theLos Angeles Galaxy, who also won the regular season'sSupporters' Shield, and theNew England Revolution, the highest-ranked team from theEastern Conference.[15][16] The Galaxy and Revolution played each other twice in the regular season: a 3–2 victory for New England on May 25 and a 2–1 win for Los Angeles on August 10.[17] The two teams also played each other in the2001 U.S. Open Cup Final, where Los Angeles won 2–1 in overtime.[18]
The Los Angeles Galaxy had qualified for the playoffs in each of the league's previous six seasons and were runners-up at the MLS Cup on three previous occasions: losing toD.C. United in1996 and1999, and to in-state rivalsSan Jose Earthquakes in2001.[15] While they had won other competitions, including theU.S. Open Cup and theCONCACAF Champions' Cup, the team were compared to the NFL'sBuffalo Bills, who were runners-up at theSuper Bowl several times in the 1990s.[15][19] Guatemalan forwardCarlos Ruiz, who was acquired in the offseason, scored 24 goals in his first season with the Galaxy and was named the league'smost valuable player (MVP).[20] The Galaxy finished as Supporters' Shield champions with 51 points, while the remaining Western Conference teams all qualified for the playoffs.[13][16] Veteran forwardCobi Jones ranked second in goals scored for the Galaxy, behind Ruiz, and enjoyed a comeback season alongside defender and U.S. compatriotAlexi Lalas.[17]
In the Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles faced the bottom-seededKansas City Wizards in a first-to-five point series. The first leg at theRose Bowl inPasadena, California, was won by the Galaxy 3–2 after a golden goal was scored by Ruiz in the 99th minute.[21] The Wizards won 4–1 in the second leg atArrowhead Stadium, setting up a series-deciding third match at the Rose Bowl.[22] Los Angeles won the third leg 5–2, with two goals each for Jones and Ruiz, and advanced to the Conference Finals with six points.[23] The Galaxy played against theColorado Rapids in the Western Conference Finals, held over the following week under the same format as the Semifinals. The team won 4–0 at the Rose Bowl and 1–0 atINVESCO Field inDenver, bringing the Galaxy to their fourth MLS Cup final.[24][25]
The Revolution failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2001,[26] following several years of poor on-field performances that resulted in the worst winning record of the league's ten teams.[27][28] Despite their league performance, New England finished as runners-up to the Galaxy in the 2001 U.S. Open Cup.[29] During the 2002 preseason, the club acquired several players from theTampa Bay Mutiny andMiami Fusion in trades and theAllocation Draft following the contraction of the two clubs, including league MVPAlex Pineda Chacón, forwardMamadou Diallo, midfielderSteve Ralston, and defenderCarlos Llamosa.[30] New England also drafted forwardTaylor Twellman in the2002 MLS SuperDraft following a successful college career and a return fromTSV 1860 Munich.[31]
Head coachFernando Clavijo was fired after the seventh match of the season, with the Revolution only winning two.[30] Assistant coachSteve Nicol was promoted to interim head coach on May 23 and completed a turnaround from last to first in the Eastern Conference, leading the team into the playoffs and earning thecoach of the year award.[15][32] New England finished the season with a six-match unbeaten streak and a total record of 12 wins, 14 losses, and two draws, scoring a league-high 49 goals.[32][33] The team narrowly qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the season, with all three qualifiers from the Eastern Conference within one point of each other.[7][15]
New England played the seventh-seededChicago Fire in the Conference Semifinals, winning the first leg 2–0 at Gillette Stadium on goals by Twellman andDaniel Hernández.[34] The Fire won the second leg 2–1, setting up a deciding match at Gillette Stadium on October 2.[35] The Revolution won 2–0 in the third match, clinching their first playoff series win and advancing to face theColumbus Crew in the Conference Semifinals.[36] The first leg at Gillette Stadium was a scoreless tie and the Revolution won the second leg in Columbus 1–0 on an early goal scored by defenderJay Heaps, who was later ejected for an altercation withFreddy García.[37][38] After earning a 2–0 lead in the third leg, New England conceded two late goals to draw 2–2 and force overtime. Neither team could score thegolden goal needed to clinch a series win outright, leaving the Revolution with 5–2 in points and qualifying them for the MLS Cup final.[39] The Revolution became the second team to play an MLS Cup final at their home stadium, followingD.C. United in1997, which also held the attendance record.[17] Despite a sprain in his right knee after the last match of the Conference Final, Twellman recovered in time for the cup final.[40]
| Los Angeles Galaxy | Round | New England Revolution | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1st place inWestern Conference
Source:MLS Qualified for playoffs | Regular season | 1st place inEastern Conference
Source:MLS Qualified for playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent (Pts.) | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 3rd leg | MLS Cup Playoffs | Opponent (Pts.) | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 3rd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas City Wizards (6–3) | 3–2 (a.e.t.) (H) | 1–4 (A) | 5–2 (H) | Conference Semifinals | Chicago Fire (6–3) | 2–0 (H) | 1–2 (A) | 2–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado Rapids (6–0) | 4–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) | — | Conference Finals | Columbus Crew (5–2) | 0–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) | 2–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The MLS Cup final was televised in the United States onABC in English and Spanish usingsecondary audio programming. English play-by-play commentary was provided byJP Dellacamera with color analysis byTy Keough; the pregame and half-time shows were hosted byTerry Gannon andEric Wynalda, reprising their roles from ABC's coverage of the2002 FIFA World Cup.[41][42] The Spanish broadcast was handled by play-by-play commentatorErnesto Motta and color analyst Andres Rodriguez.[43] The ABC broadcast was watched by an estimated audience of 1.2 million views, the lowest for an MLS Cup at the time.[44]
The 2002 final was referred byKevin Terry, who previously officiated the1998 final. In the event of a draw after regulation time, the match would be decided by two 15-minuteovertime periods with thegolden goals followed by apenalty shootout if necessary.[9][45] At kickoff, set for 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the weather in Foxborough was sunny with a temperature of 56 °F (13 °C).[46]
Los Angeles kicked off the match and had most of the chances in the scoreless first half while preventing the Revolution from making a single shot on goal.[46] The Galaxy had the game's first two shots, in the 12th and 17th minutes, but they failed to be shot on target byTyrone Marshall and Carlos Ruiz. New England responded with a cross byJoe Franchino in the 26th minute forTaylor Twellman andSteve Ralston, but neither could reach the ball in time.[47] Franchino was shown ayellow card in the 24th minute for a challenge onCobi Jones, one of several that the two captains traded.[48]
The second half began with a series of hard challenges by players on both teams to win possession of the ball, which was sent down the flanks by the Galaxy's Cobi Jones and the Revolution'sLeo Cullen. Both wingers sent in crosses that were hit towards the goal and deflected away.[49][50] During the last ten minutes of regulation time, both teams produced several chances that were deflected away by defenders, with the Revolution relying on substituteAlex Pineda Chacón, who entered in the 75th minute.[46][49] Ruiz was given a clear shot on goal in the 80th minute, but the ball was deflected away by defenderDaouda Kanté for a goal kick.[51] A final shot by Chacón instoppage time was saved by Galaxy goalkeeperKevin Hartman, his first of the match, and the MLS Cup final was sent into overtime.[48]
The Galaxy took control of the match during overtime, with an early chance in the 93rd minute missed by Jones. Abicycle kick by Ruiz in the 102nd minute was saved by Revolution goalkeeperAdin Brown, who followed minutes later with a second save on Ruiz at the beginning of the second overtime period.[49][50] A wayward shot by New England substituteWinston Griffiths in the 111th minute was deflected and hit the crossbar, preventing the game-winning goal.[48] The Galaxy cleared the deflected ball and followed two minutes later with a diagonal cross by defender Tyrone Marshall that found Ruiz, who hit a left-footed that shot past Brown and went into the net.[52] The MLS Cup final, the longest match in MLS Cup history, ended after 113 minutes with Ruiz's golden goal.[47][49] Ruiz was named the MLS Cupmost valuable player for his winning goal.[46]
          Los Angeles Galaxy |     New England Revolution
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MLS Cup Most Valuable Player: Assistant referees:[53] | Match rules[45]
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The match was the first in MLS Cup history to have a scoreless half and remain scoreless at the end of regulation time.[47][53] It was also the third and final MLS Cup to be decided by agolden goal in overtime,[46] a short-lived rule that would be replaced with a conventionalextra time period in 2004.[54][55] The match was attended by 61,316 spectators, a figure that remains among the highest in MLS playoff history and set a record for an MLS Cup final that was later surpassed in2018 byAtlanta.[56][57][58]
The Galaxy finished their 2002 season with a loss to the Columbus Crew in the2002 U.S. Open Cup four days later inColumbus, Ohio.[59] Both teams qualified for the2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, where the Revolution would be eliminated in the first round and the Galaxy would lose in the quarterfinals.[60][61]
The Galaxy and Revolution met again in the2005 final, where Los Angeles repeated their championship with a 1–0 win afterextra time.[57][62] The Revolution would go on to lose the MLS Cup in2006 and2007 to theHouston Dynamo and in2014 to the Galaxy, who would claim their fifth title.[63] Due to their finishes as MLS Cup runners-up, the Revolution are known as the "Buffalo Bills of MLS", mirroring the football team's second-place finishes at theSuper Bowl in the 1990s.[64]
