2002 Major League Soccer Season
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 t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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LA Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Galaxy began play in 1996 Major League Soccer season, 1996 as one of the league's ten charter members. The franchise is the Major League Soccer records and statistics#All-time most successful teams, league's most successful team. The Galaxy were founded in 1994 and are owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group (also owners of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as an interest in the Los Angeles Lakers). In their early years, the club played home games at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Since 2003, they have played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The team holds a rivalry with the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clásico and used to play the SuperClasico against city rivals Chivas USA before that t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and practice facilities are located in Kansas City, Kansas. The team has played its home matches at Children's Mercy Park since 2011. Sporting Kansas City began play in 1996 as a charter team in the league, then named Kansas City Wiz. The team was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1995. Starting in 1997, the franchise was named Kansas City Wizards. The team rebranded in November 2010, coinciding with its move to its new home stadium, Children's Mercy Park. Since moving across the state line, they have been the only major professional sports league franchise to play their home games in Kansas. The franchise has won the MLS Cup in 2000 and 2013, the Supporters' Shield in 2000, and the U.S. Open Cup in 2 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Naperville, Illinois
Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 149,540, making it the state's List of municipalities in Illinois, fourth-most populous city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was established by the banks of the DuPage River and was originally known as Naper's Settlement. By 1832, over 100 residents lived in Naper's Settlement. In 1839, after DuPage County was split from Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Naperville became the county seat, which it remained until 1868. Beginning in the 1960s, Naperville experienced a significant population increase as a result of Chicago's urban sprawl. Naperville is home to Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon, one of the world's four largest carillons. It is also home to an extensive pa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium, formerly Cardinal Stadium, is a stadium in Naperville, Illinois. It is primarily used for American football, soccer and track and field and has a seating capacity of 5,500. It was home to Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer from 2002 to 2003. History The athletic fields for North Central College, home to several NCAA Division III programs, were destroyed by a flood in July 1996 and were quickly repaired to allow the school's football team to play on a temporary field. Plans for a larger renovation of the football stadium and adjacent athletics facility were announced in January 1997, but later replaced with the development of a new complex anchored by a 5,000-seat football and soccer stadium. The $6.5 million complex included the new football stadium, indoor training facilities, a 750-seat baseball stadium, and a track-and-field stadium. The new stadium opened for a Cardinals football game on September 11, 1999, and initially retained its for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears from the National Football League (NFL) since 1971, as well as Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) from 1998 to 2006 and since 2020. It also regularly hosts stadium concerts and other large crowd events. The stadium has a football capacity of 62,500, making it the List of current National Football League stadiums, smallest stadium in the NFL. Soldier Field is also the oldest stadium established in the NFL and 3rd oldest in MLS. The stadium's interior was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2002, which modernized the facility but lowered its seating capacity, eventually causing it to be delisted as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Soldier Field has served as the home venue for a number of other sports teams in its history, includin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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CMGI Field
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. The stadium is southwest of Downtown Boston and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) and the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS). It opened in 2002, replacing the adjacent Foxboro Stadium. It also served as the home venue for the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Minutemen football team in 2012 and 2013, while on-campus Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium underwent renovations; it continued to serve as a part-time home venue for higher attendance UMass games through 2018. Gillette Stadium's seating capacity is 64,628, including 5,876 club seats and 82 luxury suites. The town of Foxborough approved plans for the stadium's construction on December 6, 1999, and work on the stadium began on March 24, 2000. The first off ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Invesco Field At Mile High
Empower Field at Mile High is an American football stadium in Denver, Colorado. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. The venue was previously home of the Denver Outlaws lacrosse team and the Colorado Rapids soccer team. It has also played host to many concerts and served as the venue for Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The stadium is nicknamed ''Mile High'' due to not only its predecessor, but due to the city's elevation of 1 mile or above sea level. Given the difficulty of competing at altitude, as well as the notoriously loud fans, the Broncos are known to have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL. On March 24, 2022, a fire broke out that damaged some suites and many seats on the third level. The fire was caused by sparks from a welding torch. Financing Le ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The Mutiny were a charter member of MLS, playing from 1996 to 2001. The team played its home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The Mutiny were established in 1994 and were owned and operated by MLS throughout its entire existence. The team was successful in their first years of play, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in 1996 remained the MLS single-season record until 2018. However, in subsequent years, dropping attendance and revenues became problems, especially as the team's on-field success declined and the lease at its second home field of Raymond James Stadium removed sources of gameday revenues. Owing to these issues, MLS attempted without success to find a local ownership group to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Miami Fusion
Miami Fusion F.C. was an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team played from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one of the league's first two expansion teams, their best season was 2001, when they won the Supporters' Shield with the best regular season finish. In 2002, after four years of lackluster ticket sales and revenues, MLS contracted the Fusion along with its other Florida-based team, the Tampa Bay Mutiny. The Fusion played their home games at Lockhart Stadium. History Early history Major League Soccer announced a South Florida team in 1998 as one of its first two expansions, along with the Chicago Fire. Miami businessman Ken Horowitz served as owner, the first new investor to join Major League Soccer since its founding in 1995. The team's name, the Miami Fusion, was announced on July 8, 1997, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City ahe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Straits of Florida to the south, and The Bahamas to the southeast. About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the List of U.S. states by coastline, longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning approximately , not including its many barrier islands. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of over 23 million, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by population, third-most populous state in the United States and ranks List of states and territories of the United States by population density, seventh in population density as of 2020. Florida spans , ranking List of U.S. states ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt Sr. (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American businessman most notable for his promotion of football, soccer, and tennis in the United States. With his brothers, he also attempted to corner the silver market. He was the principal founder of the American Football League (AFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as MLS's predecessor, the North American Soccer League (NASL), and co-founder of World Championship Tennis. He was also the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL), the Kansas City Wizards of MLS, and at the time of his death owned two other MLS teams, Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. In Kansas City, Hunt also helped establish the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks. The oldest ongoing national soccer tournament in the United States, the U.S. Open Cup (founded 1914), now bears his name in honor of his pioneering role in that sport stateside. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the league. The club was founded in 1995 as the Dallas Burn before adopting its current name in 2004. Since 2005, Dallas have played in the DFW area's northern suburbs at the 20,500-capacity soccer-specific stadium, soccer-specific Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas; home games in the club's early years were played at the Cotton Bowl (stadium), Cotton Bowl. The team is owned by the Hunt Sports Group led by brothers Clark Hunt and Dan Hunt, who is the team's president. The Hunt family also owns the National Football League, NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and part of the Chicago Bulls. FC Dallas in 2016 Major League Soccer season, 2016 won their first Supporters' Shield. In 2010 MLS Cup, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |