2002 SPORTS: NEW GALAXY VENUE OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Byline: - Ramona Shelburne

After sharing the Rose Bowl for its first six voyages around Major League Soccer, the Galaxy will finally have a home of their own in the vast sports universe of Los Angeles next year.

The Home Depot National Training Center will open in June 2003 in Carson and will feature a state-of-the-art 27,000-seat soccer stadium that will be the home of the Galaxy, which won its first MLS Cup in four tries this season - and the U.S. Soccer Federation.

This project in Carson is another defining moment in the history of Major League Soccer and the sport itself, said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. These state-of-the-art soccer facilities will not only be the permanent home to the Los Angeles Galaxy and our U.S. National Teams, but will serve as a spiritual home to American soccer fans everywhere, he said.

The project is being funded by Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns and controls facilities such as Staples Center and the Forum. AEG also owns the Los Angeles Kings and the Galaxy, as well as MLS teams such as the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, New York/New Jersey MetroStars and DC United. AEG also has shares of the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Sparks.