LA Galaxy won the 2002 MLS Supporters' Shield race on 51 points, 6 points ahead of San Jose Earthquakes. It came down to the final days: LA Galaxy did not lead for good until September 14, 2002.
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Supporters' Shield standings, 2002
Team
W
L
T
PTS
L10
Streak
LA Galaxy (LA)
16
9
3
51
8-2-0
W4
San Jose Earthquakes (SJ)
14
11
3
45
4-5-1
L2
Colorado Rapids (COL)
13
11
4
43
5-2-3
T1
Dallas Burn (DAL)
12
9
7
43
4-5-1
W1
New England Revolution (NE)
12
14
2
38
6-3-1
W3
Columbus Crew (CLB)
11
12
5
38
5-4-1
L1
Chicago Fire FC (CHI)
11
13
4
37
4-5-1
W1
Kansas City Wizards (SKC)
9
10
9
36
3-5-2
T1
New York/New Jersey MetroStars (RBNY)
11
15
2
35
3-7-0
L3
D.C. United (DC)
9
14
5
32
3-4-3
L1
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 4 times.
LA Galaxy trailed by as many as 11 points on July 24, 2002.
LA Galaxy took first place for good on September 14, 2002.
San Jose Earthquakes led by 8 points as late as July 26, 2002.
LA Galaxy went 7-2-0 from August 9, 2002 to September 21, 2002, turning a deficit of 8 points into a lead of 6 points.
The top two ended the day within three points of each other on 36 of the 51 days played.
Five teams held first place.
San Jose Earthquakes held first place for 147 straight days, the season's longest run.
LA Galaxy spent 30 of the season's 184 charted days in first place.