Two clubs from USL’s amateur leagues dominated the scene in 2002 with the Boston Renegades capturing their second straight W-League championship and the Des Moines Menace recording only the third  undefeated season in USL amateur outdoor history in the Premier Development League.

 

The Renegades torched their opponents over the course of the season for 55 goals, suffering just one loss on the road to the Memphis Mercury, 5-4. Their dominance continued into the postseason, winning the Eastern Conference easily to advance to the W-League Championship tournament in Vancouver. Boston defeated the Denver Lady Cougars 2-1 in the semifinals and shutout the 2001 W-2 champion Charlotte Lady Eagles in the final 3-0 with two goals from Erin O’Grady.

 

The Menace also cruised through the regular season with a few close games that resulted in three draws on their 15-0-3 record. Des Moines led the league in goals with 68 on the season, 17 more than the second place Tampa Bay Hawks. The 19 goals allowed total also ranked tied for third in the league. Poised for a run for the league title, the Menace were stunned at home 3-1 in the conference semifinals by the Mid Michigan Bucks, who grabbed headlines for their play against higher level opponents in previous years.

 

The Milwaukee Rampage were the top club in the A-League in 2002, winning the league title and advancing the furthest in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Milwaukee defeated the Richmond Kickers 2-1 in double overtime at home for the A-League championship and handed the Chicago Fire a 1-0 loss to become the only USL team to advance to the US Open Cup quarterfinals.

 

In a neck-and-neck Atlantic Conference race, the Long Island Rough Riders finished first and then advanced to the league semifinals in a 2-2 match against the New York Freedoms decided by penalty kicks (5-2). Long Island then blanked the Connecticut Wolves 3-0 to move onto the final, where they defeated the Wilmington Hammerheads in a 2-1 come from behind win on the road.