2018–19 Premier League of Belize
Football league season
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The 2018–19 Premier League of Belize was the eighth season of the Premier League of Belize, the highest competitive football league in Belize, after it was founded in 2011. There were two seasons which were spread over two years, the opening was played towards the end of 2018 and the closing was played at the beginning of 2019.
Season2018–19
Dates22 July 2018 – 18 May 2019
ChampionsOpening:
Belmopan Bandits
Closing:
San Pedro Pirates
Belmopan Bandits
Closing:
San Pedro Pirates
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 July 2018 – 18 May 2019 |
| Champions | Opening: Belmopan Bandits Closing: San Pedro Pirates |
| CONCACAF League | Belmopan Bandits |
| Matches | 124 |
| Goals | 399 (3.22 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Opening: Georgie Welcome (17) Closing: Elroy Smith (11) |
| Biggest home win | Verdes 7-0 Wagiya (29 July 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Freedom Fighters 0-6 Police United (19 August 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Freedom Fighters 4-5 Altitude (30 September 2018) |
| Longest winning run | Verdes (6) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Belmopan Bandits (12) |
| Longest winless run | Belize Defence Force Freedom Fighters Police United Wagiya (6) |
| Longest losing run | Belize Defence Force Freedom Fighters (6) |
← 2017–18 2019–20 → | |
Team information
| Team | City | Stadium | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | Independence | Michael Ashcroft Stadium |  Wilmer Garcia |
Ashley Torres |
| Belize Defence Force | Belize City | MCC Grounds | Charlie Slusher |
Blake Tejada |
| Belmopan Bandits | Belmopan | Isidoro Beaton Stadium | Shane Orio |
Dalton Eiley |
| Freedom Fighters | Punta Gorda | Victor Sanchez Union Field | Charles Gutierrez |
Evan Mariano |
| Police United | Belmopan | Isidoro Beaton Stadium | Dale Pelayo Sr. |
Andres Makin Jr. |
| San Pedro Pirates | San Pedro | Ambergris Stadium |  Jorge Nunez |
Jesse Smith |
| Verdes | San Ignacio Santa Elena |
Norman Broaster Stadium Santa Elena Sporting Complex |
Marvin Ottley |
Elroy Smith |
| Wagiya | Dangriga | Carl Ramos Stadium | Dennis Serano |
Erwin Middleton |
Opening Season
From the 2017–18 Premier League of Belize closing season, 7 teams continued to play in the opening season of 2018–19, with Altitude taking over the franchise of Placencia Assassins.
There would be one league consisting of the 8 teams, who will play each other twice, with the top 4 teams advancing to the end of season playoffs. The opening season commenced on 22 July 2018.[1]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belmopan Bandits | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 9 | +30 | 33 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Verdes | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 13 | +24 | 33 | |
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 22 | |
| 4 | Police United | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 18 | |
| 5 | Altitude | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 18 | |
| 6 | Freedom Fighters | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 43 | −13 | 14 | |
| 7 | Wagiya | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 35 | −15 | 13 | |
| 8 | Belize Defence Force | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 28 | −12 | 11 |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 4 | Police United | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
| 1 | Belmopan Bandits | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2 | Verdes | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2 | Verdes | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
Semifinals
Game One[2]
| 8 December 2018 | San Pedro Pirates | 1 – 4 | Verdes | Ambergris Stadium, San Pedro |
| 19:30 | Eduardo Chavira  84' |
Darwin Bermudez 4', 32' Nahjib Guerra 21' Elroy Kuylen 75' |
| 9 December 2018 | Police United | 1 – 1 | Belmopan Bandits | Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan |
| 16:00 | Carlton Thomas 61' (pen.) |
Jeromy James 26' |
Game Two
| 12 December 2018 | Verdes | 1 – 2 (5 – 3 agg.) | San Pedro Pirates | Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio |
| 19:30 | Elroy Smith 57' |
Eduardo Oliva 11' Pablo Mendizabal 15' |
| 13 December 2018 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 – 0 (2 – 1 agg.) | Police United | Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan |
| 20:00 | Jeromy James 90+3' |
Finals
Game One[3]
| 16 December 2018 | Verdes | 2 – 4 | Belmopan Bandits | Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio |
| 16:00 | Elroy Kuylen 45' Nahjib Guerra 68' |
Kevin Vicente 3' Georgie Welcome 16', 64' Trimayne Harris 73' |
Referee: Wálter López Castellanos (Guatemala) |
Game Two[4]
| 22 December 2018 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 – 2 (5 – 4 agg.) | Verdes | Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan |
| 20:00 | Jeromy James 80' |
Desmond Wade 22' Trevor Lennen  35' (o.g.) |
Referee: Mario Escobar Toca (Guatemala) |
| 2018–19 Opening Season champions |
|---|
| 9th title |
Season Statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Georgie Welcome |
Belmopan Bandits | 17 |
| 2 |  Eduardo Chavira |
San Pedro Pirates | 12 |
| Alexander Peters |
Freedom Fighters | ||
| 4 | Nahjib Guerra |
Verdes | 9 |
| 5 | Jeromy James |
Belmopan Bandits | 7 |
| Krisean Lopez |
Verdes | ||
| Highking Roberts |
Wagiya | ||
| 8 | Jonard Castillo |
Wagiya | 6 |
| Trimayne Harris |
Belmopan Bandits | ||
| Jaren Lambey |
Freedom Fighters | ||
| 11 | Darwin Bermudez |
Verdes | 4 |
| Jarret Davis |
Verdes | ||
| Evan Mariano |
Freedom Fighters | ||
 Pablo Mendizabal |
San Pedro Pirates | ||
| Roberto Silva de Lima |
Verdes | ||
| Carlton Thomas |
Police United |
* Includes playoff goals.
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nahjib Guerra | Verdes | Wagiya | 7–0 (H) | 29 July 2018 |
| Eduardo Chavira4 | San Pedro Pirates | Altitude | 4–0 (A) | 19 August 2018 |
| Georgie Welcome | Belmopan Bandits | Police United | 3–0 (A) | 26 August 2018 |
| Highking Roberts | Wagiya | Freedom Fighters | 3–2 (H) | 26 August 2018 |
| Georgie Welcome | Belmopan Bandits | Freedom Fighters | 5–2 (A) | 2 September 2018 |
| Eduardo Chavira | San Pedro Pirates | Altitude | 6–1 (H) | 20 October 2018 |
| Jeromy James | Belmopan Bandits | Wagiya | 4–1 (A) | 21 October 2018 |
| Georgie Welcome | Belmopan Bandits | Freedom Fighters | 4–1 (H) | 3 November 2018 |
4 Player scored 4 goals
Awards
In the post-game ceremonies of the final game of the season, the individual awards were announced.[4]
| Award | Recipient | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Boot | Georgie Welcome |
Belmopan Bandits |
| MVP (Regular Season) | Georgie Welcome |
Belmopan Bandits |
| MVP (Playoff) | Jeromy James |
Belmopan Bandits |
| Best Young Player | Krisean Lopez |
Verdes |
| Best Midfielder | Kevin Vicente |
Belmopan Bandits |
| Best Defender | Dalton Eiley |
Belmopan Bandits |
| Golden Glove | Shane Orio |
Belmopan Bandits |
| Best Coach | Kent Gabourel |
Belmopan Bandits |
| Best Manager | Emeliano Rivero |
San Pedro Pirates |
Closing Season
All 8 teams that participated in the opening season will participate in the closing season.
The format will be the same as the opening season with one league consisting of the 8 teams, who will play each other twice, with the top 4 teams advancing to the end of season playoffs. The closing season commenced on 12 January 2019.[5]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Pirates | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 15 | +8 | 26 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Belmopan Bandits | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 15 | +10 | 25 | |
| 3 | Verdes | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 9 | +10 | 24 | |
| 4 | Belize Defence Force | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 22 | |
| 5 | Police United | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 28 | −7 | 19 | |
| 6 | Altitude | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 17 | |
| 7 | Freedom Fighters | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 23 | −8 | 13 | |
| 8 | Wagiya | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 27 | −14 | 9 |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | San Pedro Pirates | 1 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
| 4 | Belize Defence Force | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 1 | San Pedro Pirates | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| 2 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | Belmopan Bandits | 4 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
| 3 | Verdes | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
Semifinals
Game One[6]
| 28 April 2019 | Belize Defence Force | 0 – 1 | San Pedro Pirates | MCC Grounds, Belize City |
| 16:00 | Anderson Cordoba 85' (pen.) |
| 28 April 2019 | Verdes | 3 – 4 | Belmopan Bandits | FFB Stadium, Belmopan |
| 16:00 | Elroy Smith 22' (pen.), 89' (pen.) Elroy Kuylen 50' |
Trimayne Harris 12' Georgie Welcome 57' (pen.), 68', 71' |
Game Two[7]
| 4 May 2019 | San Pedro Pirates | 6 – 1 (7 – 1 agg.) | Belize Defence Force | Ambergris Stadium, San Pedro |
| 19:30 | Facundo Garnier 19', 61', 68', 71' Jesse Smith 34' Anderson Cordoba 74' (pen.) |
Camilo Sanchez 51' (pen.) |
| 4 May 2019 | Belmopan Bandits | 0 – 0 (4 – 3 agg.) | Verdes | Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan |
| 20:00 |
Finals
Game One[8]
| 11 May 2019 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 – 0 | San Pedro Pirates | Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan |
| 20:00 | Humberto Requena 5' |
Referee: Bryan Lopez Castellanos (GUA) Assistant referees: Marvin Diaz (GUA) & Ricardo Ake (BLZ) Fourth official: José Colindres (BLZ) |
Game Two[9]
| 18 May 2019 | San Pedro Pirates | 2 – 0 (2 – 1 agg.) | Belmopan Bandits | Ambergris Stadium, San Pedro |
| 19:30 | Facundo Garnier 67' Mailson Moura 76' |
Referee: Sergio Reyna (GUA) Assistant referees: Pablo Ramirez (GUA) & Ricardo Ake (BLZ) Fourth official: Elfren Guy (BLZ) |
| 2018–19 Closing Season champions |
|---|
| 1st title |
Season Statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elroy Smith |
Verdes | 11 |
| 2 | Camilo Sánchez |
Belize Defence Force | 10 |
| 3 |  Andres Orozco |
Altitude | 9 |
| Highking Roberts |
Wagiya | ||
| 5 | Facundo Garnier |
San Pedro Pirates | 8 |
| 6 | Trimayne Harris |
Belmopan Bandits | 7 |
| Georgie Welcome |
Belmopan Bandits | ||
| 8 | Jaren Lambey |
Freedom Fighters | 5 |
| Harrison Roches |
Police United | ||
| 10 | Anderson Cordoba |
San Pedro Pirates | 4 |
| Jerry Palacios |
Belmopan Bandits | ||
| Carlton Thomas |
Police United | ||
| Luis Valdez |
San Pedro Pirates |
* Includes playoff goals.
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trimayne Harris | Belmopan Bandits | Altitude | 3–1 (A) | 19 January 2019 |
| Camilo Sanchez | Belize Defence Force | Freedom Fighters | 4–1 (H) | 7 April 2019 |
| Highking Roberts | Wagiya | Freedom Fighters | 3–5 (A) | 14 April 2019 |
| Georgie Welcome | Belmopan Bandits | Verdes | 4–3 (A) | 28 April 2019 |
| Facundo Garnier4 | San Pedro Pirates | Belize Defence Force | 6–1 (H) | 4 May 2019 |
4 Player scored 4 goals
Awards
In the post-game ceremonies of the final game of the season, the individual awards were announced.[9]
| Award | Recipient | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Boot (Regular Season) | Andres Orozco |
Altitude |
| Highking Roberts |
Wagiya | |
| Camilo Sanchez |
Belize Defence Force | |
| Elroy Smith |
Verdes | |
| Golden Boot (Overall) | Elroy Smith |
Verdes |
| MVP (Regular Season) | Georgie Welcome |
Belmopan Bandits |
| MVP (Playoff) | Facundo Garnier |
San Pedro Pirates |
| Best Young Player | Warren Moss |
Wagiya |
| Best Midfielder | Jesse Smith |
San Pedro Pirates |
| Best Defender | Dalton Eiley |
Belmopan Bandits |
| Golden Glove | Rodrigo Vasquez |
Verdes |
| Best Coach | Jorge Nunez |
San Pedro Pirates |
| Best Manager | Tony Maldonado |
San Pedro Pirates |
Aggregate table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belmopan Bandits (Q) | 28 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 64 | 24 | +40 | 58 | CONCACAF League preliminary round[a] |
| 2 | Verdes | 28 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 56 | 22 | +34 | 57 | |
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 28 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 48 | |
| 4 | Police United | 28 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 43 | 56 | −13 | 37 | |
| 5 | Altitude | 28 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 38 | 55 | −17 | 35 | |
| 6 | Belize Defence Force | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 33 | |
| 7 | Freedom Fighters | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 45 | 66 | −21 | 27 | |
| 8 | Wagiya | 28 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 33 | 62 | −29 | 22 |
Source: Soccerway Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
- As champions with better aggregate record (BLZ1)
List of foreign players in the league
This is a list of foreign players in the 2018–19 season. The following players:
- Have played at least one game for the respective club.
- Have not been capped for the Belize national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace.
Each team can have a maximum of five foreign players in their roster.
Altitude
|
Belize Defence Force
|
Belmopan Bandits
|
Police United
|
San Pedro Pirates
|
Verdes
|
Wagiya
|
(player released during the Opening season)
(player released between the Opening and Closing seasons)
(player released during the Closing season)