# 2018 Myanmar National League

The 2018 Myanmar National League, also known as the 2018 MPT Myanmar National League, is the 9th season of the Myanmar National League, the top Burmese professional league for association football clubs since its founding in 2009. The departure of the two clubs from the MNL-1 disrupted the previous season. More disruption came when Nay Pyi Taw and City Yangon withdrew from the competition towards the end of the 2017 season. At an emergency meeting of the MNL committee on September 12, Nay Pyi Taw was expelled from the league after its players complained of not having been paid since April. The expulsion came after players boycotted a game in early September. An unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey in July last year created a crisis for City Yangon that forced its departure from the MNL. It was a big disappointment for the club, which won the 2017 MNL-2 championship to end the season undefeated. MNL-2 third-place winners Myawady FC were promoted along with runners-up Sagaing United to the 2018 Myanmar National League.
In the lead up to the 2018 season, the MNL signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the country's biggest TelCo MPT that will support funds for the Myanmar National League, MNL-2 and the youth competitions up until the 2020 season.

## 2018 Title Sponsor

Myanma Posts and Telecommunications signed 3 years contract with MNL. They help to develop Myanmar Football and Youth program.

## Name Changes

Mahar United changed its name to Sagaing United.

## Teams

A total of 12 teams are competing in the 2018 season: 10 sides from the 2017 season and two promoted teams from the 2017 Myanmar National League 2.

### Stadiums

| Club | Home City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Ayeyawady United | Pathein | Ayar Stadium | 6,000 |
| Hanthawaddy United | Bago | Grand Royal Stadium | 4,000 |
| Magwe | Magway | Magway Stadium* | 3,000 |
| Myawady FC | Nay Pyi Taw | Wunna Theikdi Stadium* | 30,000 |
| Rakhine United | Sittwe | Weithali Stadium | 7,000 |
| Sagaing United | Monywa | Monywa Stadium | 4,000 |
| Shan United | Taunggyi | Taunggyi Stadium | 7,000 |
| Southern Myanmar | Mawlamyaing | Ramanya Stadium | 10,000 |
| Yadanarbon | Mandalay | Mandalarthiri Stadium | 30,000 |
| Yangon United | Yangon | Yangon United Sports Complex | 3,500 |
| G.F.A | Chin | Hakha Stadium* | |
| Zwegapin United | Hpa-An | Aung Than Lwin Stadium* | 3,000 |
(*) – not ready to play. MNL clubs that have not had their home stadia ready to host home matches currently use Aung San Stadium and Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Week | Table | Incoming manager |
| Yadanarbon | René Desaeyere | End of contract | 1 October 2017 | Pre-season | Pre-season | Aung Kyaw Moe |
| Southern Myanmar | Fabiano Jose Costa Flora | End of Contract | 13 November 2017 | Pre-season | Pre-season | Kyaw Min |
| Shan United | Soe Myat Min | Resign | 11 March 2018 | Week 8 | 4 | Aung Kyaw Tun |
| Shan United | Aung Kyaw Tun | Caretaker Manager | 29 April 2018 | Week 11 | 4 | Marjan Sekulovski |

### Foreign players

The number of foreign players is restricted to four per MNL club. A team can use three foreign players on the field in each game, including a slot for a player from among AFC countries.
* Other foreign players.
* AFC quota players.
* No foreign player registered.
The number of foreign players is restricted to five per T1 team. A team can use four foreign players on the field in each game, including at least one player from the AFC member countries (3+1).
    Note : : players who released during summer transfer window; : players who registered during summer transfer window. ↔: players who have dual nationality by half-caste or naturalization. →: players who left club after registered during second leg.
| Club | Leg | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC player |
| Ayeyawady United | First | Jocial Tchakounte | Cássio Magalhães | Ella Edubat Patrick | |
| Ayeyawady United | Second | Jocial Tchakounte | Cássio Magalhães | Ella Edubat Patrick | |
| GFA | First | Atanga Effa Kostka | Omololu Emmanuel | Anthony Ugochukwu | |
| GFA | Second | Atanga Effa Kostka | Omololu Emmanuel | Jordan Nyako | |
| Hanthawaddy United | First | Mark Sekyi | Joseph Mpande | Michael Falcon | |
| Hanthawaddy United | Second | Mark Sekyi | Joseph Mpande | Michael Falcon | |
| Magwe | First | | | | |
| Magwe | Second | | | | |
| Myawady | First | | | | |
| Myawady | Second | | | | |
| Sagaing United | First | Chukwuekweka Samuel | Barnabas Friday | Soulemanou Mandjombe | |
| Sagaing United | Second | Bamba | Barnabas Friday | Soulemanou Mandjombe | |
| Shan United | First | Christopher Chizoba | William Nyakwe | Patrick Asare | Lee Han-kuk |
| Shan United | Second | Christopher Chizoba | William Nyakwe | Milan Svojić | Lee Han-kuk |
| Southern Myanmar | First | Alpha Oumar Barry | Olajide Williams | | |
| Southern Myanmar | Second | Alpha Oumar Barry | Olajide Williams | | |
| Rakhine United | First | Sunday Mathew | Agarawa | Clifford | |
| Rakhine United | Second | Sunday Mathew | Agarawa | Clifford | |
| Yadanarbon | First | | | | |
| Yadanarbon | Second | | | | |
| Yangon United | First | Kekere Moukailou | Sylla Sekou | Emmanuel Uzochukwu | Kosuke Uchida |
| Yangon United | Second | Kekere Moukailou | Sylla Sekou | Emmanuel Uzochukwu | Kosuke Uchida |
| Zwekapin United | First | Paulo Bunze | Sackie Doe | Anderson West | Ken Matsumoto |
| Zwekapin United | Second | Edison Fonseca | Sackie Doe | Anderson West | Ken Matsumoto |

### Personnel and sponsoring

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Ayeyawady United | Shwe Shwe Aung | Min Min Thu | Grand Sport | AMI Insurance |
| G.F.A | Thein Min Htut | Effa Kostka | made by club | Gospel for Asia |
| Hanthawaddy United | Win Min Zaw | Aung Zaw | FBT | none |
| Magwe | Myo Ko Saya | Kyaw Zin Phyo | Grand Sport | none |
| Myawady | Ko Ko Oo | Ye Wai Yan Soe | Pro//Sport | none |
| Rakhine United | Soe Myat Kyaw | Hla Aye Htwe | Pro//Sport | UAB Bank |
| Sagaing United | Kyi Win Zaw | Toe Sat Naing | FBT | none |
| Shan United | Thein Thiha Aung | Thiha Sithu | Pro//Sport | KBZ Bank |
| Southern Myanmar FC | Pyae Phyo Saya | Pyae Phyo Aung | Pro//Sport | Yuzana Group |
| Yadanarbon | Ko Ko Tun | Ye Ko Oo | FBT | Alpine |
| Yangon United | Hlaing Kyaw Htet | Yan Aung Kyaw | FBT | AGD Bank |
| Zwekapin United | Kyi Min Htun | Naing Zayar Htun | made by club | Htay Group |

## Result
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Yangon United | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 54 | 20 | +34 | 51 | Qualification for the AFC Champions League Preliminary Round 1 and Mekong Club Championship |
| 2 | Shan United | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 33 | 13 | +20 | 50 | Qualification for the AFC Cup Group Stage |
| 3 | Zwegapin United | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 21 | +9 | 40 | |
| 4 | Hanthawaddy United | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 36 | |
| 5 | Yadanarbon | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 34 | |
| 6 | Southern Myanmar United | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 30 | |
| 7 | Magwe | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 30 | |
| 8 | Ayeyawady United | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 30 | |
| 9 | Rakhine United | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 28 | |
| 10 | Sagaing United | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 27 | 40 | −13 | 21 | |
| 11 | Gospel For Asia | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 40 | −16 | 20 | Relegation to MNL-2 |
| 12 | Myawady | 22 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 66 | −54 | 2 | Relegation to MNL-2 |

### Positions by round

* Leader and qualification to the 2019 AFC Champions League Preliminary round 2
* Qualification to the 2019 AFC Cup Group Stage
* Relegation to the 2019 National League 2
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Ayeyawady United | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | | 9 | | | |
| GFA | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | | 11 | 11 | 11 | |
| Hanthawaddy United | 11 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
| Myawady | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
| Rakhine United | 5 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | | 6 | 6 | 7 | |
| Sagaing United | 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Magwe | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| Shan United | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Southern Myanmar | 3 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | | 7 | 7 | 3 | |
| Yadanarbon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| Yangon United | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Zwekapin United | 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 |

### Results by match played

| Team \ Match played | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Ayeyawady United | L | D | D | D | W | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | W | D | W | L | W | W | L | D | L | L |
| GFA | D | W | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | L | D | L | L | D | D | W | W | L | L | L | W | L |
| Hanthawaddy United | L | W | L | L | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | L | W | W | D | L | D | W | W | L | D | W |
| Myawady | D | L | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L |
| Rakhine United | D | L | D | W | L | L | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | L | L | D | L | L | W | D | L | W |
| Sagaing United | D | L | L | W | L | D | W | L | D | L | D | D | L | L | D | L | W | L | W | L | L | L |
| Magwe | D | L | W | W | W | D | W | W | L | W | W | D | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | D | L | L |
| Shan United | D | W | W | D | W | W | L | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | W | W |
| Southern Myanmar | D | D | L | W | L | W | L | D | D | W | L | L | W | W | W | W | D | L | L | D | W | L |
| Yadanarbon | W | W | W | D | L | D | W | D | L | D | D | W | L | W | L | D | L | W | L | W | D | W |
| Yangon United | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | L | W | D | W | W | L | W | L | W | D | W | W | W | W | W |
| Zwekapin United | D | L | W | L | W | L | L | W | W | L | D | W | D | L | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | W |

## Matches

Fixtures and results of the Myanmar National League 2018 season.

### Week 22
## Season statistics
### Top scorers

    As of 23 September 2018.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Joseph Mpande | Hanthawaddy United | 18 |
| 2 | Sylla Sekou | Yangon United | 17 |
| 3 | Edubat Patrick | Ayeyawady United | 16 |
| 4 | Sunday Mathew | Rakhine United | 14 |
| 5 | Win Naing Soe | Yadanarbon | 11 |
| 5 | Sithu Aung | Yadanarbon | 10 |
| 5 | Aung Myint Tun | Magwe | 10 |
| 5 | Than Htet Aung | Zwekapin United | 10 |
| 9 | Christopher Chizoba | Shan United | 9 |
| 9 | Maung Maung Lwin | Yangon United | 9 |
| 11 | Kaung Sithu | Southern Myanmar | 7 |
| 11 | Barnas Friday | Sagaing United | 7 |
| 11 | Dway Ko Ko Chit | Shan United | 7 |
| 11 | Ti Nyein Minn | Rakhine United | 7 |
| 11 | Myat Kaung Khant | Yadanarbon | 7 |
| 14 | Aung Moe | Southern Myanmar | 6 |
| 16 | Mung Theih Pau | GFA | 5 |
| 16 | Aee Soe | Yangon United | 5 |
| 16 | Alpha Barry | Southern Myanmar | 5 |
| 16 | Emmanuel Uzochukwu | Yangon United | 5 |
| 16 | Thiha Zaw | Ayeyawady United | 5 |
| 16 | Ye Ko Oo | Yadanarbon | 5 |
| 16 | Yan Kyaw Htwe | Zwekapin United | 5 |
| 24 | Maung Maung Soe | Magwe | 4 |
| 24 | Kosuke Uchida | Yangon United | 4 |
| 24 | Pyone Cho | GFA | 4 |
| 27 | Kyi Lin | Yangon United | 3 |
| 27 | Soe Min Oo | Shan United | 3 |
| 27 | Zin Min Tun | Shan United | 3 |
| 27 | Thet Naing | Yadanarbon | 3 |
| 27 | Sithu Than Soe | Rakhine United | 3 |
| 27 | Sai Min Tun | Zwekapin United | 3 |
| 33 | Soe Min Tun | GFA | 2 |
| 33 | Soe Lwin Lwin | Magwe | 2 |
| 33 | Zaw Zin Oo | Sagaing United | 2 |
| 33 | Kaung Sithu | Myawady | 2 |
| 33 | Yan Naing Aung | Hanthawaddy United | 2 |
| 33 | Aung Kyaw Naing | Ayeyawady United | 2 |
| 33 | Kyaw Zin Oo | Yangon United | 2 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Sithu Aung | Yadanarbon | Ayeyawady United | 5–2 | 15 January 2018 |
| Christopher Chizoba | Shan United | Rakhine United | 3–2 | 19 January 2018 |
| Sylla Sekou | Yangon United | Southern Myanmar | 4–1 | 30 April 2018 |
| Aung Myint Tun | Magwe | Rakhine United | 5–2 | 13 May 2018 |
| Win Naing Soe | Yadanarbon | Myawady | 7–0 | 20 May 2018 |
| Joseph Mpande | Hanthawaddy United | Myawady | 9–0 | 2 June 2018 |
| Pyone Cho | GFA | Myawady | 4–0 | 16 June 2018 |
| Edubat Patrick | Ayeyawady United | Magwe | 4–1 | 23 June 2018 |
| Sunday Mathew | Rakhine United | Myawady | 6–2 | 6 July 2018 |
| Ti Nyein Minn | Rakhine United | Myawady | 6–2 | 6 July 2018 |
| Bamba | Sagaing United | Ayeyawady United | 4–1 | 7 July 2018 |
| Sylla Sekou | Yangon United | Myawady | 4–1 | 14 September 2018 |
| Joseph Mpande | Hanthawaddy United | Ayeyawady United | 5–0 | 23 September 2018 |

### Clean sheets

    As of 23 September 2018.
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Thiha Sithu | Shan United | 12 |
| 2 | Kyaw Zin Htet | Yangon United | 9 |
| 3 | Ko Ko Naing | Hanthawaddy United | 7 |
| 4 | Naing Zayar Htun | Zwekapin United | 6 |
| 4 | Pyae Phyo Aung | Southern Myanmar | 6 |
| 5 | Kyaw Zin Phyo | Magwe | 5 |
| 5 | Chan Nyein Kyaw | Yadanarbon | 5 |
| 5 | Soe Arkar | Rakhine United | 5 |
| 9 | Vanlal Hruala | Ayeyawady United | 3 |
| 9 | Nyein Min Oo | GFA | 3 |
| 11 | Sann Satt Naing | Yangon United | 2 |
| 11 | A Zin Hmue | Sagaing United | 2 |
| 13 | Tun Nanda Oo | Myawady | 1 |
| 13 | Myo Min Latt | Shan United | 1 |

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Coach of the Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month | Player of the Month | Reference |
| Month | Coach | Club | Player | Club | Reference |
| January | Aung Kyaw Moe | Yadanarbon | Sithu Aung | Yadanarbon | |
| February | Myo Min Tun | Yangon United | Maung Maung Lwin | Yangon United | |
| March & April | Aung Zaw Myo | Magwe | Than Htet Aung | Zwekapin United | |
| May & June | Marjan Sekulovski | Shan United | Than Htet Aung | Zwekapin United | |
| July | Mr. Ngwe Tun | Hanthawaddy United | Thiha Zaw | Ayeyawady United | |