WHAT'S NEXT: NEW VENUE TOPS NEW YEAR'S EVENTS.

Byline: - Ross Siler

Whether the Angels, Lakers, Galaxy and Sparks can repeat their 2002 championship successes remains to be seen. But the Los Angeles area is poised for another big sports year in 2003, highlighted by the opening of The Home Depot Center in Carson.

The facility, built by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, will feature a 27,000-seat soccer stadium for the Galaxy and a 13,000-seat tennis stadium for the women's JP Morgan Chase Open.

It also will be the San Diego Chargers' training camp home in August and host a World Cup track and field meet over the summer. The U.S. national soccer teams also will use the facility, and international exhibitions could be scheduled.

Staples Center, meanwhile, will host the X Games in August and is ``aggressively'' bidding for the rights to next year's Shane Mosley-Oscar De La Hoya rematch, according to spokesman Michael Roth. Staples Center will host the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.

``The reality of pro sports is that there's an ebb and flow to everything, and you rarely see a market where that isn't going to be the case,'' Los Angeles Sports Council President David Simon said. ``I think the handwriting is on the wall that the NFL seems to be focusing on Los Angeles, and a team, existing or expansion, could be coming here in the next couple of years. Overall on the future of sports here, I think it's a growth industry.''

The NFL also has discussed awarding the 2007 Super Bowl to the Rose Bowl, if renovations to the stadium are made.