overall standing. The playoffs were organized into three rounds, the first two being a home-and-away series organized into a best-of-three format with the first team to earn five points advancing, and the single-match MLS Cup final. 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. The Galaxy and Revolution played each other twice in the regular season: a 3–2 victory for New England on May 25 and a 2–1 win for Los Angeles on August 10. The two teams also played each other in the 2001 U.S. Open Cup Final, where Los Angeles won 2–1 in overtime. Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy had qualified for the playoffs in each of the league's previous six seasons and were runners-up at the MLS Cup on three previous occasions: losing to D.C. United in 1996 and 1999, and to in-state rivals San Jose Earthquakes in 2001. While they had won other competitions, including the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the team were compared to the NFL's Buffalo Bills, who were runners-up at the Super Bowl several times in the 1990s. 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). The Galaxy finished as Supporters' Shield champions with 51 points, while the remaining Western Conference teams all qualified for the playoffs. 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. In the Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles faced the bottom-seeded Kansas City Wizards in a first-to-five point series. The first leg at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was won by the Galaxy 3–2 after a golden goal was scored by Ruiz in the 99th minute. The Wizards won 4–1 in the second leg at Arrowhead Stadium, setting up a series-deciding third match at the Rose Bowl. Los Angeles won the third leg 5–2, with two goals each for Jones and Ruiz, and advanced to the Conference Finals with six points. The Galaxy played against the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference Finals, held over the following week under the same format as the Semifinals. The team won 4–0 at the Rose