It was hosted at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and contested by the New England Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2002 season.

[5][6] Approximately 20,000 tickets were sold by October 10, but sales reached 55,000 after the Revolution advanced from the Conference Finals, and were on pace to match or surpass the MLS Cup attendance record of 57,431 set in 1997.

[14] MLS Cup 2002 was contested by the Los Angeles Galaxy, who also won the regular season's Supporters' Shield, and the New England Revolution, the highest-ranked team from the Eastern Conference.

[15][19] Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz, who was acquired in the offseason, scored 24 goals in his first season with the Galaxy and was named the league's most valuable player (MVP).

[13][16] Veteran forward Cobi Jones ranked second in goals scored for the Galaxy, behind Ruiz, and enjoyed a comeback season alongside defender and U.S. compatriot Alexi Lalas.

The team won 4–0 at the Rose Bowl and 1–0 at INVESCO Field in Denver, bringing the Galaxy to their fourth MLS Cup final.

[24][25] The Revolution failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2001,[26] following several years of poor on-field performances that resulted in the worst winning record of the league's ten teams.

[15][32] New England finished the season with a six-match unbeaten streak and a total record of 12 wins, 14 losses, and two draws, scoring a league-high 49 goals.

[7][15] New England played the seventh-seeded Chicago Fire in the Conference Semifinals, winning the first leg 2–0 at Gillette Stadium on goals by Twellman and Daniel Hernández.

Neither team could score the golden goal needed to clinch a series win outright, leaving the Revolution with 5–2 in points and qualifying them for the MLS Cup final.

English play-by-play commentary was provided by JP Dellacamera with color analysis by Ty Keough; the pregame and half-time shows were hosted by Terry Gannon and Eric Wynalda, reprising their roles from ABC's coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

[48] The second half began with a series of hard challenges by players on both teams to win possession of the ball, which was sent down the flanks by the Galaxy's Cobi Jones and the Revolution's Leo Cullen.

[48] The Galaxy cleared the deflected ball and followed two minutes later with a diagonal cross by defender Tyrone Marshall that found Ruiz, who hit a left-footed that shot past Brown and went into the net.

MLS Cup Most Valuable Player: Carlos Ruiz (Los Angeles Galaxy) Assistant referees:[53] Greg Barkey Richard Eddy Fourth official: Michael Kennedy Match rules[45] The match was the first in MLS Cup history to have a scoreless half and remain scoreless at the end of regulation time.

[47][53] It was also the third and final MLS Cup to be decided by a golden goal in overtime,[46] a short-lived rule that would be replaced with a conventional extra time period in 2004.