MLS Cup 2003 was the eighth edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), which took place on November 23, 2003. It was hosted at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and was contested by the Chicago Fire and the San Jose Earthquakes to decide the champion of the 2003 season. Both teams had previously won the MLS Cup and were looking for their second championship. San Jose defeated Chicago 4–2, clinching their second championship in three years; Landon Donovan scored two goals and was named the match's most valuable player. The match included a sequence of three goals scored within a five-minute period early in the second half and had the earliest goal scored in MLS Cup history, the competition's first own goal, and the first penalty kick awarded in a final. It was also the highest-scoring final, with six goals in total. Venue The under construction Home Depot Center was announced as the venue of MLS Cup 2003 on February 27, 2002, a week after CMGI Field in Foxborough, Massachusetts, was awarded the 2002 final. The 27,000-seat stadium opened on June 7, 2003, as the centerpiece of a $140 million multi-sport complex in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson. The Home Depot Center is a soccer-specific stadium that was built to primarily serve as the home of the Los Angeles Galaxy. It also hosted several matches during the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in September and October, including the final match. The 2003 edition was the second MLS Cup to be hosted in the Los Angeles area, following the 1998 cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, attended by 51,530 spectators. The 2003 cup was attended by a sellout crowd of 27,000, including 500 San Jose Earthquakes supporters in the designated away section. The Home Depot Center was selected to host later MLS Cups in 2004, 2008, and 2011 before neutral venues for the final were abolished. The stadium, later renamed the StubHub Center, would go on to host the MLS Cup in 2012 and 2014. Road to the final The MLS Cup is the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), a professional club soccer league based in the United States. The 2003 season was the eighth in the league's history and was contested by ten teams in two conferences. Each team played a total of 30 matches in the