# 2018–19 Premier League of Belize

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.

## 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.

### 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 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 22 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 4 | Police United | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 18 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 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 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | ALT | BDF | BEL | FRE | POL | SPE | VER | WAG |
| Altitude | | 2–1 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Belize Defence Force | 0–1 | | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 0–3 |
| Belmopan Bandits | 4–0 | 5–0 | | 4–1 | 4–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 |
| Freedom Fighters | 4–5 | 2–2 | 2–5 | | 0–6 | 3–4 | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Police United | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–2 | | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–1 |
| San Pedro Pirates | 6–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Verdes | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | | 7–0 |
| Wagiya | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | |

### Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Police United | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | Police United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Belmopan Bandits | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| | | | | | 2 | Verdes | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | Verdes | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | Verdes | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | |

#### Semifinals

Game One
Game Two

#### Finals

Game One
Game Two
* 2018–19 Opening Season champions
* Belmopan Bandits 9th title

### Season Statistics
#### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Team | Goals$^*$ |
| 1 | Georgie Welcome | Belmopan Bandits | 17 |
| 2 | Eduardo Chavira | San Pedro Pirates | 12 |
| 2 | Alexander Peters | Freedom Fighters | 12 |
| 4 | Nahjib Guerra | Verdes | 9 |
| 5 | Jeromy James | Belmopan Bandits | 7 |
| 5 | Krisean Lopez | Verdes | 7 |
| 5 | Highking Roberts | Wagiya | 7 |
| 8 | Jonard Castillo | Wagiya | 6 |
| 8 | Trimayne Harris | Belmopan Bandits | 6 |
| 8 | Jaren Lambey | Freedom Fighters | 6 |
| 11 | Darwin Bermudez | Verdes | 4 |
| 11 | Jarret Davis | Verdes | 4 |
| 11 | Evan Mariano | Freedom Fighters | 4 |
| 11 | Pablo Mendizabal | San Pedro Pirates | 4 |
| 11 | Roberto Silva de Lima | Verdes | 4 |
| 11 | Carlton Thomas | Police United | 4 |
$^*$ Includes playoff goals.

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Nahjib Guerra | Verdes | Wagiya | 7–0 (H) | 29 July 2018 |
| Eduardo Chavira$^4$ | 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.
| 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.

### 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 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 3 | Verdes | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 9 | +10 | 24 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 4 | Belize Defence Force | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 22 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 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 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | ALT | BDF | BEL | FRE | POL | SPE | VER | WAG |
| Altitude | | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 4–1 |
| Belize Defence Force | 1–2 | | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Belmopan Bandits | 3–1 | 1–1 | | 3–1 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Freedom Fighters | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 5–3 |
| Police United | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 |
| San Pedro Pirates | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 4–1 |
| Verdes | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | | 1–1 |
| Wagiya | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | |

### Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | San Pedro Pirates | 1 | 6 | 7 | | | | | |
| 4 | Belize Defence Force | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 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 | 2 | Belmopan Bandits | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Verdes | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | |

#### Semifinals

Game One
Game Two

#### Finals

Game One
Game Two
* 2018–19 Closing Season champions
* San Pedro Pirates 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 |
| 3 | Highking Roberts | Wagiya | 9 |
| 5 | Facundo Garnier | San Pedro Pirates | 8 |
| 6 | Trimayne Harris | Belmopan Bandits | 7 |
| 6 | Georgie Welcome | Belmopan Bandits | 7 |
| 8 | Jaren Lambey | Freedom Fighters | 5 |
| 8 | Harrison Roches | Police United | 5 |
| 10 | Anderson Cordoba | San Pedro Pirates | 4 |
| 10 | Jerry Palacios | Belmopan Bandits | 4 |
| 10 | Carlton Thomas | Police United | 4 |
| 10 | Luis Valdez | San Pedro Pirates | 4 |
$^*$ 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 Garnier$^4$ | 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.
| Award | Recipient | Team |
| Golden Boot (Regular Season) | Andres Orozco | Altitude |
| Golden Boot (Regular Season) | Highking Roberts | Wagiya |
| Golden Boot (Regular Season) | Camilo Sanchez | Belize Defence Force |
| Golden Boot (Regular Season) | 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 |
| 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 | |
* ↑ 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
* Miguel Garcia
* Andres Orozco
* Darwin Sarmiento
* Ronaldo Vergara
* Belize Defence Force
* Jose Tinoco
* Belmopan Bandits
* Rony Flores
* Inri Gonzaga
* Jeffrie James
* Hector Martinez
* Jerry Palacios
* Rilwan Salawu
* Kevin Vicente
* Georgie Welcome
* Police United
* Jehoshaphat Nnadi
* San Pedro Pirates
* Eduardo Chavira
* Facundo Garnier
* Pablo Mendizabal
* Mailson Moura
* Anderson Cordoba
* Carlos Pertuz
* Selvin Zeron Sagastume
* Verdes
* Darwin Bermudez
* Dilmer Castillo
* Edlin Gutierrez
* Alan Leandro
* Selvin Zeron Sagastume
* Roberto Silva de Lima
* Yoras Silva
* Rodrigo Vasquez
* Edwin Villeda
* Wagiya
* Cristhian Cruz
(player released during the Opening season) (player released between the Opening and Closing seasons) (player released during the Closing season)