During summer, several players left the club, including fan favorite midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, who transferred out to FC Barcelona.

Meanwhile, in the inaugural season of 2002 Copa Sudamericana the squad was eliminated by Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata in Eightfinals stage.

Head coach Carlos Bianchi was appointed on 23 December 2002 after rumors that he accepted other positions with FC Barcelona and Mexico National Team.

[2] For Apertura, along with Bianchi, Macri reinforced the team with a few players, including midfielders Diego Cagna from Atletico Celaya[3] and Javier Alejandro Villarreal.

The squad reached the Finals stage and won the trophy, defeating Brazilian side Santos FC with a 5-1 global score after two matches.