| Club: | D.C. United |
| Season: | 2002 |
| League: | MLS |
| League Result: | Conference: 5th Overall: 10th |
| Chrtitle: | Owner |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Ray Hudson |
| Cup1: | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Did not qualify |
| Cup2: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Did not qualify |
| Cup3: | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | First round |
| Cup4: | Atlantic Cup |
| Cup4 Result: | Winners |
| Season Topscorer: | Curtis Convey (05) |
| Pattern B1: | _DCU_02h |
| Pattern Sh1: | _adidaswhite2002 |
| Leftarm1: | 000000 |
| Body1: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm1: | 000000 |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Socks1: | 000000 |
| Pattern La2: | _adidasstripesonwhite |
| Pattern B2: | _DCU_00a |
| Pattern Ra2: | _adidasstripesonwhite |
| Pattern Sh2: | _DCU_00a |
| Leftarm2: | FF0000 |
| Body2: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm2: | FF0000 |
| Shorts2: | FFFFFF |
| Socks2: | FFFFFF |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 2001 |
| Nextseason: | 2003 |
The 2002 D.C. United season was the clubs' eighth year of existence, as well as their seventh season in Major League Soccer.
Under second-year head coach, Ray Hudson, United failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, a dry spell that would not be achieved again until the 2011 United season.
| width=30 | Pos | Club | width=30 | Pld | width=30 | W | width=30 | L | width=30 | T | width=30 | GF | width=30 | GA | width=30 | GD | width=30 | Pts | width=250 | Qualification | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy (SS) (W1) | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 51 | 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | |||||||||||
| 2 | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 45 | 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 43 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2003 U.S. Open Cup | DAL: 7 pts COL: 4 pts | |||||||||||
| 4 | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 43 | 48 | -5 | 43 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | New England Revolution (E1) | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 38 | NE: 7 pts CLB: 4 pts | |||||||||||
| 6 | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 38 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 37 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Kansas City Wizards | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 45 | -8 | 36 | 2002 MLS Cup Playoffs | |||||||||||
| 9 | MetroStars | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 41 | 47 | -6 | 35 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | D.C. United | 28 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 31 | 40 | -9 | 32 |
Source: MLSSoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head record; 3rd goal difference; 4th number of goals scored.
(SS) = MLS Supporters' Shield; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs, but not yet to the particular round indicated; (E) = Eliminated from playoff-contention.