Every team wants to finish as champions. The goal is to lift that title when the last second of the game ends. The Los Angeles Galaxy did just that in 2002.
After falling short in previous seasons, the Galaxy won the first of five MLS Cup titles in the league’s 10th year. In their first six years, the Los Angeles Galaxy reached the MLS Cup finals three times. He came in second place all three times.
However, in 2002, the LA Galaxy defeated the New England Revolution 1-0. This will be the third time the Galaxy will play in the finals at Foxboro Stadium. In addition, 31,613 people will participate, making it the largest number of participants for an MLS Cup up to 2018.
Sigi Schmidt was the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy. He took over for Octavio Zambrano early in the 1999 season. Schmidt becomes the third manager in team history.
Forward Cobi Jones was the team’s second leading scorer. Fellow U.S. Men’s National Team member Alexi Laras was a standout on the Galaxy’s defense.
This is the second time Los Angeles Galaxy have won the Supporters Shield. Carlos Ruiz, the team’s leading scorer, found the back of the net 24 times in 2002. After that, the season ended with just 28 games.
Lewis’ goal was the only point in the match, so he will likely be the deciding factor in the final. It happened during the second overtime period, which was played in sudden death format.
The LA Galaxy and New England Revolution each won one game against each other during the regular season. Both teams won by one goal. The 2002 MLS Cup will feature the best matches between the two conferences.
This is the first MLS Cup in which no points were scored after regulation. This sets the stage for the LA Galaxy to finally become a force to be reckoned with in MLS. He has appeared on the league’s highest stage four times, finally winning a title that shows his mastery.
