Four U.S. teams will qualify for the 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Already assured of spots are: LOS ANGELES (as MLS Cup champ), NEW ENGLAND (as MLS Cup 2002 runner-up) and SAN JOSE (as regular-season runner-up).
The fourth spot will go to COLUMBUS or DALLAS.
The fourth spot will be decided by tonight's U.S. Open Cup final. If Columbus wins, it qualifies. If Los Angeles wins, Dallas qualifies as third-place finisher in the MLS 2002 regular season.
San Jose qualifies as regular-season runner-up because Los Angeles, the regular-season champ, qualifies as MLS Cup winner.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is a 16-team tournament that crowns the overall champion of the region of North and Central America and the Caribbean. It will be played as home-and-away legs from the round of 16 through to the 2003 final. A draw will take place this winter to place four U.S. teams, four Mexican teams, six Central American teams and two Caribbean teams into two brackets. At the draw, two U.S. and two Mexican teams will be placed in each bracket, being joined by three Central American and one Caribbean team each.
Mexico's Pachuca lifted the 2002 crown, having defeated Mexico's Morelia in the final Sept. 18. U.S. clubs have won the title twice: Los Angeles (2000) and D.C. United (1998)