2018–19 Liga Panameña de Fútbol
The 2018–19 Liga Panameña de Fútbol (also known as the Liga Cable Onda) was the 28th season of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol, the top-flight football league in Panama. The season began on 17 July 2017 and was scheduled to end in May 2018. Ten teams competed throughout the entire season.
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Apertura: Tauro Clausura: Independiente |
| Relegated | Santa Gema |
| CONCACAF League | Tauro Independiente San Francisco |
| Matches played | 65 |
| Goals scored | 134 (2.06 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Plaza Amador 3-0 Chorrillo Chorrillo 3-0 Atletico Veraguense |
| Highest scoring | San Francisco 2-3 Atletico Veraguense |
← 2017–18 2019–20 → | |
Teams
Chorrillo formed with Deportivo Centenario de Coclé and la Universidad Latina de Panamá to become Unión Deportivo Universitario therefore there was no need for a relegation. Taking their place for this season are the overall champions of last season's Liga Nacional de Ascenso, Costa del Este F.C.
| Club | Home city | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Alianza | Panama City | Cancha de Entrenamiento Luis Tapia |
| Árabe Unido | Colón | Armando Dely Valdes |
| Unión Deportivo Universitario | Santiago de Veraguas | Aristocles "Toco" Castillo |
| Costa del Este F.C. | Panama City | Estadio Maracaná |
| Independiente | La Chorrera | Estadio Maracaná |
| Plaza Amador | Panama City | Estadio Maracaná |
| San Francisco | La Chorrera | Estadio Agustín Sánchez |
| Santa Gema | Arraiján | Estadio Agustín Sánchez |
| Sporting San Miguelito | San Miguelito | Cancha de Entrenamiento Luis Tapia |
| Tauro | Panama City | Estadio Rommel Fernandez |
Managerial changes
Before the start of the season
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza Amador | Juan Carlos García | Sacked | May 2018 | Jorge Santos | May 2018 | th (TBD) |
| Tauro FC | Sergio Angulo | Contract Finished | June 2018 | Juan Carlos García | June 2018 | th (TBD) |
| Arabe Unido | Sergio Guzman | Contract Finished | June 2018 | Carlos Ruiz | June 2018 | th (TBD) |
During the Apertura season
Between Apertura and Clausura seasons
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independiente FC | Donaldo Gonzales | Sacked | December 2018 | Francisco Perlo | December 2018 | 9th (Apertura 2018) |
| Plaza Amador | Jorge Santos | Sacked | December 2018 | Javier Alvarez | December 2018 | th (Apertura 2018) |
| Alianza | Jair Palacios | Sacked | December 2018 | Alberto Nino Valencia | December 2018 | th (Apertura 2018) |
| CD Universitario | Julio Medina | Sacked | December 2018 | Gustavo Onaindia | December 2018 | th (Apertura 2018) |
| San Francisco FC | Sergio Angulo | Contract not renewed | December 2018 | Gonzalo Soto | December 2018 | th (Apertura 2018) |
| Costa Del Este FC | Angel Sanchez | Contract finished | December 2018 | Carlos Pérez Porras | December 2018 | th (Apertura 2018) |
| Sporting San Miguelito | Gustavo Avila | Sacked | December 2018 | Jair Palacios | December 2018 | th (Pre Season) |
During the Clausura season
Apertura
Personnel and sponsoring (2018 Apertura)
| Team | Chairman | Head Coach | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza | TBD | Jair Palacios | Keuka | Balboa |
| Árabe Unido | TBD | Carlos Ruiz | Kelme | Pizza Hut, Panama Colon, Aguaseo |
| CD Universitario | TBD | Óscar Upegui | Lotto | McDonald's |
| Costa del Este F.C. | Angel Sanchez | Adidas | McDonald's, Cremoso | |
| Independiente | Donaldo Gonzales | Everlast | Cemento Interoceanico, ECO Moda | |
| Plaza Amador | TBD | Jorge Santos | Umbro | Páguela Facil, Frosquito, Mercana |
| Santa Gema | Mario Anthony "Chalate" Torres | Kelme | ShowPro, PSA Panama | |
| San Francisco | Julio Quijano | Andrés Domínguez | Puma | KFC, Banco General |
| Sporting San Miguelito | TBD | Noel Gutierrez | Keuka | Los Andes, URBE, pío Pío |
| Tauro | TBD | Juan Carlos García | Patrick | Touritos, Argos, Caja de Ahorros |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costa del Este | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 29 | Advance to Playoffs (Semifinals) |
| 2 | Árabe Unido | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 28 | |
| 3 | Tauro | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 20 | +13 | 27 | Advance to Playoffs (Quarterfinals) |
| 4 | Plaza Amador | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 25 | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 25 | |
| 6 | Alianza | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 23 | |
| 7 | Santa Gema | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 22 | |
| 8 | Universitario | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 21 | |
| 9 | Independiente | 18 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 22 | −2 | 20 | |
| 10 | Sporting San Miguelito | 18 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 26 | −9 | 17 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
Quarterfinals
| Plaza Amador | 1 – 2 | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Jose Murillo 90' | Guido Rouse 14' Jhamal Rodriguez 78' |
Semifinals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Árabe Unido | 1 – 3 | Tauro | 0 – 2 | 1 – 1 |
| Costa del Este | 4 – 3 | San Francisco | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 |
First leg
| Tauro | 2 – 0 | Árabe Unido |
|---|---|---|
| Enrico Small 34' Gustavo Chará 93' |
None |
| San Francisco | 1 – 3 | Costa del Este F.C. |
|---|---|---|
| Edson Samms 26' | Ernesto Sinclair 11' 22' 45' |
Second leg
| Árabe Unido | 1 – 1 | Tauro |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Aguilar 37' | Blas Perez 92' |
Tauro won 3-1 on aggregate.
| Costa del Este F.C. | 1 – 2 | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Ernesto Sinclair 55' | Ervin Zorrila 47' Guido Rouse 65' |
Costa del Este won 4-3 on aggregate.
Final
| Costa del Este | 1-2 | Tauro |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Aguilar own 15' | [ ] | Edwin Aguilar 3' Jesus Gonzales 119' |
Clausura
Personnel and sponsoring (2019 Clausura)
| Team | Chairman | Head Coach | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza | TBD | Celio Garces | Keuka | Cemento Interoceanico |
| Árabe Unido | TBD | José 'Chicho' Pérez | Kelme | Pizza Hut |
| Unión Deportivo Universitario | TBD | Donaldo Gonzales | Keuka | EGS, NCO |
| Costa del Este F.C. | Juan Carlos Fuentes | Adidas | McDonald's, Cremoso | |
| Independiente | Francisco Perlo | Everlast | Cemento Interoces, Eco Moda, Las Anclas, Preval | |
| Plaza Amador | TBD | Javier Alvarez | Umbro | Balboa |
| Santa Gema | Carlos Rivera | Kelme | ShowPro | |
| San Francisco | Julio Quijano | Gonzalo Soto | Puma | KFC, Canon, Banco General, Balboa |
| Sporting San Miguelito | TBD | Jair Palacios | Keuka | Pio Pio, Los Andes Mall, GMG, Melo |
| Tauro | TBD | Saul Maldonado | Patrick | Publica Amarias, Dominos, Estrella Azul, Argos, Capital Bank |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 38 | Advance to Playoffs (Semifinals) |
| 2 | Árabe Unido | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 35 | |
| 3 | Independiente | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 18 | +12 | 34 | Advance to Playoffs (Quarterfinals) |
| 4 | Tauro | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 28 | |
| 5 | Sporting San Miguelito | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 15 | +6 | 28 | |
| 6 | Universitario | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 25 | |
| 7 | Plaza Amador | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 24 | |
| 8 | Costa del Este | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 23 | |
| 9 | Alianza | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 30 | −16 | 15 | |
| 10 | Santa Gema | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 50 | −43 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
Quarterfinals
| Independiente | 2–1 | Universitario |
|---|---|---|
| Aguilar 23' Torres 40' |
Report | Dinalos 78' |
| Tauro | 1–0 | Sporting San Miguelito |
|---|---|---|
| Catuy 15' | Report |
First leg
| Tauro | 1–1 | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Ariano 58' | Zúñiga 34' |
| Independiente | 2–1 | Árabe Unido |
|---|---|---|
| Negrete 41' Aguilar 65' |
Arroyo 31' |
Second leg
| Árabe Unido | 2–1 | Independiente |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 4-5 | ||
| San Francisco | 1–0 | Tauro |
|---|---|---|
| Jhamal Rodríguez 42' (pen.) |
Final
| San Francisco | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Independiente |
|---|---|---|
| Guido Rouse 120+4' | Abdiel Ayarza 117' | |
| Penalties | ||
| 1-4 | ||
Aggregate table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco (Q) | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 34 | +18 | 63 | CONCACAF League preliminary round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 2 | Árabe Unido | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 63 | |
| 3 | Tauro (Q) | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 57 | 38 | +19 | 55 | CONCACAF League round of 16[lower-alpha 2] |
| 4 | Independiente (Q) | 36 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 54 | CONCACAF League round of 16[lower-alpha 3] |
| 5 | Costa del Este | 36 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 52 | |
| 6 | Plaza Amador | 36 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 49 | |
| 7 | Universitario | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 46 | |
| 8 | Sporting San Miguelito | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 38 | 41 | −3 | 45 | |
| 9 | Alianza | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 38 | |
| 10 | Santa Gema (R) | 36 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 27 | 74 | −47 | 22 | Relegated to Liga de Ascenso |
List of foreign players in the league
This is a list of foreign players for the 2018-2019. The following players:
- have played at least one game for the respective club.
- have not been capped for the Panama national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace
| Alianza |
| Arabe Unido |
Chosta del Este FC
|
Independiente
|
| Plaza Amador |
| Santa Gema |
San Francisco FC
|
| Sporting San Miguelito |
| Tauro FC |
UD Universitario
|
(player released mid season) (player released during Apertura and Clausura)