# 2012 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A

The 2012 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol de la Serie A (known as the 2012 Copa Credife Serie A for sponsorship reasons) was the 54th season of the Serie A, Ecuador's premier football league. The season began on February 3 and ended in December 2012. Deportivo Quito was the defending champion. They were succeeded by Barcelona, who won their record-breaking 14th title.

## Format

On the night of December 6, 2011, the Ecuadorian Football Federation determined that the format for 2012 will the same as the previous season.

## Teams

Twelve teams competed in the 2012 Serie A season, ten of whom remained from the previous season. ESPOLI and Imbabura were relegated last season after accumulating the fewest points in the 2011 season aggregate table. They will be replaced by Técnico Universitario and Macará, the 2011 Serie B winner and runner-up, respectively. Both teams from Ambato are making returns to the Serie A. Macará is returning after one season while Técnico Universitario is returning after two.
| Team | Home city | Home ground | Manager | Captain |
| Barcelona | Guayaquil | Monumental Banco Pichincha | Gustavo Costas | Matías Oyola |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Cuenca | Alejandro Serrano Aguilar | Guillermo Duró | Miguel Paniagua |
| Deportivo Quito | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | Rubén Darío Insúa | Luis Saritama |
| El Nacional | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | | Marwin Pita |
| Emelec | Guayaquil | George Capwell | Gustavo Quinteros | Pedro Quiñónez |
| Independiente José Terán | Sangolquí | Rumiñahui | Pablo Repetto | Daniel Samaniego |
| LDU Loja | Loja | Federativo Reina del Cisne | Paúl Vélez | Pedro Larrea |
| LDU Quito | Quito | Casa Blanca | Edgardo Bauza | Norberto Araujo |
| Macará | Ambato | Bellavista | Fabián Bustos | Cristian Mora |
| Manta | Manta | Jocay | Armando Osma | Bolívar Gómez |
| Olmedo | Riobamba | Olímpico de Riobamba | Roque Alfaro | Carlos Caicedo |
| Técnico Universitario | Ambato | Bellavista | José Basualdo | Christian Gómez |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| Pre-season changes |||||||
| Técnico Universitario | Paúl Vélez | Sacked | November 28, 2011 | Fabián Bustos | November 28, 2011 | N/A |
| LDU Loja | Diego Ochoa | Replaced | December 4, 2011 | Paúl Vélez | December 4, 2011 | N/A |
| Olmedo | Dragan Miranovic | Mutual consent | December 6, 2011 | Carlos Calderón | December 6, 2011 | N/A |
| First Stage changes |||||||
| Olmedo | Carlos Calderón | Resigned | February 12, 2012 | Juan Amador Sánchez | February 13, 2012 | 12th |
| Barcelona | Luis Zubeldía | Resigned | April 9, 2012 | Gustavo Costas | April 11, 2012 | 4th |
| El Nacional | Mario Saralegui | Mutual consent | April 9, 2012 | Sixto Vizuete | April 10, 2012 | 8th |
| Técnico Universitario | Fabián Bustos | Mutual consent | April 13, 2012 | Mario Saralegui | April 14, 2012 | 11th |
| Olmedo | Juan Amador Sánchez | Mutual consent | April 30, 2012 | Óscar Pacheco | June 8, 2012 | 12th |
| Deportivo Quito | Carlos Ischia | Sacked | May 14, 2012 | Nelson Acosta | May 24, 2012 | 7th |
| Técnico Universitario | Mario Saralegui | Resigned | June 18, 2012 | José Basualdo | June 26, 2012 | 11th |
| Inter-stage changes |||||||
| Emelec | Marcelo Fleitas | Resigned | July 8, 2012 | Gustavo Quinteros | July 6, 2012 | N/A |
| Macará | Homero Valencia | Mutual consent | July 8, 2012 | Fabián Bustos | July 9, 2012 | N/A |
| Second Stage changes |||||||
| Deportivo Quito | Nelson Acosta | Resigned | July 30, 2012 | Rubén Darío Insúa | July 31, 2012 | 12th |
| Independiente José Terán | Carlos Sevilla | Resigned | September 20, 2012 | Pablo Repetto | September 24, 2012 | 11th |
| Olmedo | Óscar Pacheco | Resigned | October 1, 2012 | Roque Alfaro | October 8, 2012 | 6th |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Luis Soler | Mutual consent | October 4, 2012 | Guillermo Duró | October 26, 2012 | 9th |
| El Nacional | Sixto Vizuete | Sacked | November 8, 2012 | Orlando Narváez | November 9, 2012 | 11th |
* 1 2 The change in managers was announced in early November, but took effect at the end of the previous season.
* 1 2 Interim manager.

## First stage

The first stage (Spanish: Primera Etapa) began on February 3 and ended on July 8.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Barcelona | 22 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 38 | 2013 Copa Libertadores Second Stage, 2012 Copa Sudamericana First Stage and 2013 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 2 | LDU Loja | 22 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 38 | 2012 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 3 | Emelec | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 37 | 2012 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 4 | Independiente José Terán | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 37 | |
| 5 | Deportivo Cuenca | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 36 | |
| 6 | LDU Quito | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 34 | |
| 7 | Deportivo Quito | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 31 | |
| 8 | El Nacional | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 34 | −10 | 29 | |
| 9 | Manta | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 27 | |
| 10 | Macará | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 33 | −14 | 21 | |
| 11 | Técnico Universitario | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 32 | −14 | 18 | |
| 12 | Olmedo | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 44 | −30 | 14 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BAR | CUE | QUI | NAC | EME | IJT | LDL | LDQ | MAC | MAN | OLM | TEC |
| Barcelona | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 1–0 | — | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Deportivo Quito | 3–0 | 1–3 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| El Nacional | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Emelec | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 5–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 |
| Independiente José Terán | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 4–1 |
| LDU Loja | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 |
| LDU Quito | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 |
| Macará | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Manta | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| Olmedo | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–4 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–3 |
| Técnico Universitario | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | — |

## Second stage

The second stage (Spanish: Segunda Etapa) began on July 13 and ended on December 2.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Barcelona | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 45 | 2013 Copa Libertadores Second Stage and 2013 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 2 | Emelec | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 26 | +2 | 37 | |
| 3 | LDU Quito | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 35 | |
| 4 | Independiente José Terán | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 25 | −3 | 31 | |
| 5 | Técnico Universitario | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 31 | |
| 6 | Manta | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 30 | |
| 7 | Macará | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 29 | |
| 8 | LDU Loja | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 27 | |
| 9 | Deportivo Cuenca | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 27 | |
| 10 | Deportivo Quito | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 25 | −11 | 25 | |
| 11 | El Nacional | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 23 | |
| 12 | Olmedo | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 21 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BAR | CUE | QUI | NAC | EME | IJT | LDL | LDQ | MAC | MAN | OLM | TEC |
| Barcelona | — | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Deportivo Quito | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| El Nacional | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Emelec | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Independiente José Terán | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| LDU Loja | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 6–0 |
| LDU Quito | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 |
| Macará | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 4–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Manta | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Olmedo | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | — | 4–1 |
| Técnico Universitario | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — |

## Aggregate table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Barcelona | 44 | 23 | 14 | 7 | 75 | 34 | +41 | 83 | 2013 Copa Libertadores Second Stage and 2013 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 2 | Emelec | 44 | 22 | 8 | 14 | 67 | 49 | +18 | 74 | Second-Place Playoffs |
| 3 | LDU Quito | 44 | 17 | 18 | 9 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 69 | Second-Place Playoffs |
| 4 | Independiente José Terán | 44 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 51 | 45 | +6 | 68 | Fourth-Place Playoffs |
| 5 | LDU Loja | 44 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 65 | Fourth-Place Playoffs |
| 6 | Deportivo Cuenca | 44 | 18 | 9 | 17 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 63 | |
| 7 | Manta | 44 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 57 | |
| 8 | Deportivo Quito | 44 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 56 | |
| 9 | El Nacional | 44 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 52 | |
| 10 | Macará | 44 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 50 | |
| 11 | Técnico Universitario | 44 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 45 | 66 | −21 | 49 | Relegated to the Serie B |
| 12 | Olmedo | 44 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 36 | 71 | −35 | 35 | Relegated to the Serie B |

## Third stage

The Third Stage (Spanish: Tercera Etapa) began on December 9 and ended on December 16. It consisted of two playoffs.

### Fourth-place playoffs

Independiente José Terán and LDU Loja played in the fourth-place playoff. By having the greater number of points in the aggregate table, Independiente José Terán will play the second leg at home.
Having won both matches, Independiente José Terán earned the Ecuador 3 berth in the 2013 Copa Sudamericana; LDU Loja earned the Ecuador 4 berth.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | LDU Loja | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 6 | 2013 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 2 | Independiente José Terán | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 | 2013 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |

### Second-place playoffs

Emelec and LDU Quito played the second-place playoff. By having the greater number of points in the aggregate table, Emelec will play the second leg at home.
Having won both matches, Emelec won the Ecuador 2 berth for the 2013 Copa Libertadores and the 2013 Copa Sudamericana. LDU Quito earned the Ecuador 3 berth for the 2013 Copa Libertadores.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Emelec | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | 2013 Copa Libertadores Second Stage and 2013 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 2 | LDU Quito | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | 2013 Copa Libertadores First Stage |

### Finals

Since Barcelona won both the first stage and second stage, the finals were not played, and Barcelona were crowned champions. They earned the Ecuador 1 berth in the 2013 Copa Libertadores and the Ecuador 1 berth in the 2013 Copa Sudamericana.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Nationality | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Narciso Mina | Ecuadorian | Barcelona | 30 |
| 2 | Claudio Bieler | Ecuadorian | LDU Quito | 20 |
| 3 | Fábio Renato | Brazilian | LDU Loja | 16 |
| 4 | Marlon de Jesús | Ecuadorian | Emelec | 13 |
| 4 | Carlos Luis Quintero | Ecuadorian | Macará | 13 |
| 4 | Enner Valencia | Ecuadorian | Emelec | 13 |
| 7 | Ariel Nahuelpan | Argentine | LDU Quito | 11 |
| 7 | Daniel Samaniego | Ecuadorian | Independiente José Terán | 11 |
| 9 | Byron Cano | Ecuadorian | Deportivo Cuenca | 10 |
| 9 | Alex Colón | Ecuadorian | Técnico Universitario | 10 |
| 9 | Luciano Figueroa | Argentine | Emelec | 10 |
| 9 | Marcos Mondaini | Argentine | Emelec | 10 |
Updated as of games played on December 16, 2012. Source:

### Hat tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Claudio Bieler | LDU Quito | Olmedo | 5–0 | February 12, 2012 |
| Alex Colón | Técnico Universitario | Olmedo | 0–3 | February 24, 2012 |
| Luis Caicedo | Barcelona | Olmedo | 4–0 | March 23, 2012 |
| Claudio Bieler | LDU Quito | El Nacional | 3–2 | March 31, 2012 |
| Fábio Renato | LDU Loja | El Nacional | 1–3 | July 1, 2012 |
| Marcos Mondaini | Emelec | Olmedo | 5–0 | July 8, 2012 |
| Narciso Mina$^4$ | Barcelona | Macará | 4–0 | July 21, 2012 |
| Christian Márquez | Manta | Técnico Universitario | 4–0 | November 18, 2012 |
| Carlos Luis Quintero | Macará | Deportivo Quito | 0–4 | December 2, 2012 |
* $^4$ Player scored 4 goals.