The 2002 D.C. United season was the clubs' eighth year of existence, as well as their seventh season in Major League Soccer.
Under second-year head coach, Ray Hudson, United failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, a dry spell that would not be achieved again until the 2011 United season.
Competitions
Preseason
Major League Soccer
League standings
Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England Revolution | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 38 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Columbus Crew | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 38 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 37 | |
| 4 | MetroStars | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 35 | |
| 5 | D.C. United | 28 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 32 |
Source: MLS
Overall
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (SS) (W1) | 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 Cup1, 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 | ||
| 5 | New England Revolution (E1) | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 38 | NE: 7 pts CLB: 4 pts | |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 38 | ||
| 7 | Chicago Fire | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 37 | ||
| 8 | Kansas City Wizards2 | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 45 | -8 | 36 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs | |
| 9 | MetroStars2 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 47 | -6 | 35 | ||
| 10 | D.C. United2 | 28 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 31 | 40 | -9 | 32 |
Source: MLSSoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head record; 3rd goal difference; 4th number of goals scored.
(SS) = MLS Supporters' Shield; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs, but not yet to the particular round indicated; (E) = Eliminated from playoff-contention.
- ^Note 1 – 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.
- ^Note 2 – Since Kansas City Wizards, MetroStars, and D.C. United finished outside of the top seven in the league standings, they enter the U.S. Open Cup in the third round proper rather than fourth.
- ^Note 3 – D.C. United qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup by finishing runners-up in the CONCACAF Giants Cup.
Results summary
Results by round
Match reports
| March 22, 2002 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 2–1 | D.C. United | Pasadena, California |
| 20:00 EST | Ruíz  85', 92+' |
Report | Curtis 76' |
Stadium: Rose Bowl Attendance: 20,602 |
| March 30, 2002 2 | D.C. United | 2–0 | Chicago Fire | Washington, D.C. |
| 16:00 EST | Etcheverry 39' Conteh 46' |
Report | Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 15,033 |
| April 3, 2002 3 | Colorado Rapids | 2–0 | D.C. United | Denver, Colorado |
| 19:00 EST | Henderson 44', 89' |
Report | Stadium: Invesco Field at Mile High Attendance: 48,476 |
| April 6, 2002 4 | Dallas Burn | 2–1 | D.C. United | Dallas |
| 18:00 EST | Kreis 63' Rodríguez 84' |
Report | Quaranta 61' |
Stadium: Cotton Bowl Attendance: 8,565 |
| April 20, 2002 5 | D.C. United | 2–1 | Kansas City Wizards | Washington, D.C. |
| 17:00 EST | Curtis 71' McKinley 92+' |
Report | Preki 73' |
Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 12,759 |
| April 27, 2002 6 | Columbus Crew | 1–0 | D.C. United | Columbus, Ohio |
| 17:00 EST | Maisonneuve 15' |
Report | Stadium: Crew Stadium Attendance: 14,997 |
| May 4, 2002 7 | D.C. United | 0–3 | Chicago Fire | Washington, D.C. |
| 15:00 EST | Report | Daniv 26' Nowak 55'Razov 59' |
Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 11,767 |
| May 12, 2002 7 | D.C. United | 1–1 | Columbus Crew | Washington, D.C. |
| 15:00 EST | Santino Quaranta 45' |
Report | Dante Washington 67' |
Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 30,413 |
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
| February 3, 2002 First round | Comunicaciones  | 4–0 |  D.C. United | Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| 21:00 UTC−5 | Stadium: Progress Cements Stadium |
| March 27, 2002 First round | D.C. United | 2–1 (2–5 agg.) | Comunicaciones | Washington, D.C., United States |
| 20:00 UTC−5 | Stadium: RFK Memorial Stadium |
Exhibitions
| June 23, 2002 | D.C. United | 0–0 |  Boca Juniors | Washington, D.C., United States |
| 16:00 UTC−5 | Stadium: RFK Memorial Stadium |
| October 17, 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur  | 0–1 | D.C. United | London, England |
| 00:00 UTC−5 | Stadium: White Hart Lane |
| October 26, 2002 | D.C. United | 4–0 |  Águila | Washington, D.C., United States |
| 16:00 UTC−5 | Stadium: RFK Memorial Stadium |
References
- General
- "2002 Schedule: All competitions". D.C. United. DCUnited.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- Citations