2003 Major League Soccer season

The 2003 Major League Soccer season was the eighth season of Major League Soccer and the 91st season of soccer in the United States with a national first-division league. During this season, the Los Angeles Galaxy played in the league's second soccer-specific stadium, the Home Depot Center, which opened on June 1, 2003. The Chicago Fire played most of their games at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville but returned to Soldier Field for their final regular season game.

The season had 30 games for each team, up from 28 in the previous year. The playoffs changed too; instead of a best-of-three series, the conference semifinals were decided by the total goals over two matches, with the higher-seeded team playing the second game at home. The conference finals were single games hosted by the higher-seeded team.

The regular season started on April 5 and ended on October 26. The playoffs began on November 1 and ended with the MLS Cup on November 23. The San Jose Earthquakes won their second MLS Cup in three years by defeating Chicago.

Overview

The 2003 Major League Soccer season was the eighth season of the league. It started on April 5 and ended with the MLS Cup on November 23. Ten teams were split into two groups, called conferences. Each team played 30 games, half at home and half away.

The top four teams from each conference moved on to the playoffs. In the first round, teams played two games and the team with more goals overall won. The conference finals were single games, and the winners went to the MLS Cup. If a game ended in a tie, it had extra time and, if needed, penalty kicks to decide a winner. The team with the most points during the regular season won the MLS Supporters' Shield. The winner and runner-up of the MLS Cup got to play in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

Standings

Eastern Conference

Source: MLS

Western Conference

Source: MLS

Overall standings

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield

MLS Cup Playoffs

The 2003 Major League Soccer season included exciting playoff matches leading to the MLS Cup. Teams competed in semifinals for both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, matches took place on November 1 and November 9, 2003. Chicago Fire won with a total score of 4–0 over two games. New England Revolution also advanced by winning 3–1.

In the Western Conference semifinals, San Jose Earthquakes won 5–4 after extra time on November 1 and 9, 2003. Kansas City Wizards won 3–1 in their series.

The conference finals were held on November 14 and 15, 2003. The MLS Cup final took place on November 23, 2003, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, with 27,000 fans watching.

Main article: MLS Cup 2003

RFK Stadium
Washington, D.C.

Attendance: 15,202

Soldier Field
Chicago, Illinois

Attendance: 15,312

Chicago Fire won 4–0 on aggregate.

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Giants Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey

Attendance: 10,211

Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, Massachusetts

Attendance: 14,823

New England Revolution won 3–1 on aggregate.

Home Depot Center
Carson, California

Attendance: 20,201

Spartan Stadium
San Jose, California

Attendance: 14,145

San Jose Earthquakes won 5–4 on aggregate after golden goal extra time.

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INVESCO Field at Mile High
Denver, Colorado

Attendance: 6,434

Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City, Missouri

Attendance: 10,712

Kansas City Wizards won 3–1 on aggregate.

Soldier Field
Chicago, Illinois

Attendance: 14,610

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Spartan Stadium
San Jose, California

Attendance: 16,108

Home Depot Center
Carson, California

Attendance: 27,000

Player statistics

Goals

Assists

Clean sheets

Awards

Individual awards

Best XI

Attendance