# 2019 Ecuadorian Serie A

The 2019 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A (officially known as the LigaPro Banco Pichincha 2019 for sponsorship reasons) was the 61st season of the Serie A, Ecuador's top tier football league, and the first under the management of the Liga Profesional de Fútbol del Ecuador (or LigaPro). LDU Quito were the defending champions, but were defeated in the finals by Delfín following a scoreless draw on aggregate score after two legs and a penalty shootout, in which the latter team won their first league title.

## Format

Starting from this season, the league was expanded from 12 to 16 teams and a new format was implemented. The first stage will be played as a double round-robin tournament with all teams playing each other twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 30 matches. The top eight teams at the end of the first stage will qualify for the playoffs, which will consist of three rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.
In the quarterfinals, the eight qualified teams were split into four ties to be played on a home-and-away basis: the best-placed team in the first round played against the eighth-best team, the second-best team against the seventh-best, and so on. The four winners advanced to the semifinals, with the winners of this stage playing the finals. In case of a tie in points and goals scored in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the best-placed team in each tie (according to the first stage standings) advanced to the following stage, whilst in a case of a tie in points and goals for in the final, a penalty shootout would be played to decide the champion.

## Teams

Sixteen teams competed in the 2019 Serie A season, twelve of whom took part in the previous season. El Nacional and Guayaquil City would have been relegated from Serie A after accumulating the fewest points during the 2018 season, however, the expansion of the league prevented their relegation to Serie B. The four remaining spots in the top tier were filled by the top four teams in Serie B in the previous season: Mushuc Runa, América de Quito, Fuerza Amarilla and Olmedo.

### Stadia and locations

| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity |
| América de Quito | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | 35,258 |
| Aucas | Quito | Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda | 21,689 |
| Barcelona | Guayaquil | Monumental Banco Pichincha | 57,267 |
| Delfín | Manta | Jocay | 17,834 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Cuenca | Banco del Austro Alejandro Serrano Aguilar | 18,549 |
| El Nacional | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | 35,258 |
| Emelec | Guayaquil | Banco del Pacífico Capwell | 38,963 |
| Fuerza Amarilla | Machala | 9 de Mayo | 16,456 |
| Guayaquil City | Guayaquil | Christian Benítez Betancourt | 10,152 |
| Independiente del Valle | Sangolquí | Rumiñahui | 7,233 |
| LDU Quito | Quito | Rodrigo Paz Delgado | 41,575 |
| Macará | Ambato | Bellavista | 16,467 |
| Mushuc Runa | Ambato | COAC Mushuc Runa | 6,000 |
| Olmedo | Riobamba | Olímpico | 7,233 |
| Técnico Universitario | Ambato | Bellavista | 16,467 |
| Universidad Católica | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | 35,258 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| América de Quito | Darwin Veloz | Astro | Consorcio Pichincha |
| Aucas | Gabriel Schürrer | Umbro | Banco del Pacífico |
| Barcelona | Tabaré Silva | Marathon | Pilsener |
| Delfín | Fabián Bustos | Yeliyan | Fresh Fish La Esquina de Ales |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Tabaré Silva | Joma | Chubb Seguros |
| El Nacional | Marcelo Zuleta | Lotto | Aceros ANDEC Banco General Rumiñahui |
| Emelec | Ismael Rescalvo | Adidas | Electrocables |
| Fuerza Amarilla | Luis Miguel Garcés | Elohim | |
| Guayaquil City | Pool Gavilánez | Astro | |
| Independiente del Valle | Miguel Ángel Ramírez | Marathon | Chery DirecTV |
| LDU Quito | Pablo Repetto | Puma | Banco Pichincha |
| Macará | Paúl Vélez | Boman | Cooperativa San Francisco Ltda. |
| Mushuc Runa | Martín Cardetti | Elohim | Cooperativa Mushuc Runa |
| Olmedo | Ricardo Dillon | Boman | Cooperativa Daquilema GolTV |
| Técnico Universitario | José Eugenio Hernández | Boman | Cooperativa San Francisco Ltda. |
| Universidad Católica | Santiago Escobar | Umbro | Discover Card |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Richard Páez | Resigned | 12 December 2018 | Pre-season | Luis Soler | 13 December 2018 |
| El Nacional | Eduardo Favaro | End of contract | 12 December 2018 | Pre-season | Marcelo Zuleta | 21 December 2018 |
| Aucas | Darío Tempesta | Sacked | 18 December 2018 | Pre-season | Eduardo Favaro | 22 December 2018 |
| Barcelona | Guillermo Almada | Signed by Santos Laguna | 12 April 2019 | 5th | José Gavica (caretaker) | 13 April 2019 |
| Emelec | Mariano Soso | Resigned | 14 April 2019 | 10th | Bolívar Vera (caretaker) | 16 April 2019 |
| Barcelona | José Gavica | End of caretaker spell | 21 April 2019 | 5th | Leonardo Ramos | 22 April 2019 |
| Independiente del Valle | Ismael Rescalvo | Signed by Emelec | 26 April 2019 | 1st | Yuri Solano (caretaker) | 26 April 2019 |
| Aucas | Eduardo Favaro | Sacked | 28 April 2019 | 7th | Gabriel Schürrer | 1 May 2019 |
| Emelec | Bolívar Vera | End of caretaker spell | 30 April 2019 | 9th | Ismael Rescalvo | 30 April 2019 |
| Técnico Universitario | Fabián Frías | Sacked | 30 April 2019 | 14th | José Eugenio Hernández | 2 May 2019 |
| Independiente del Valle | Yuri Solano | End of caretaker spell | 7 May 2019 | 1st | Miguel Ángel Ramírez | 7 May 2019 |
| América de Quito | Francisco Correa | Resigned | 13 May 2019 | 16th | Luis Espinel | 16 May 2019 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Luis Soler | Sacked | 14 May 2019 | 11th | Jerson Stacio (caretaker) | 14 May 2019 |
| Fuerza Amarilla | Raúl Duarte | Sacked | 21 May 2019 | 15th | Diego Torres (caretaker) | 21 May 2019 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Jerson Stacio | End of caretaker spell | 25 May 2019 | 10th | Tabaré Silva | 30 May 2019 |
| Fuerza Amarilla | Diego Torres | End of caretaker spell | 25 May 2019 | 15th | Matías Tatangelo | 24 June 2019 |
| Mushuc Runa | Geovanny Cumbicus | Sacked | 28 May 2019 | 13th | Martín Cardetti | 30 May 2019 |
| América de Quito | Luis Espinel | Resigned | 24 September 2019 | 15th | Darwin Veloz | 25 September 2019 |
| Fuerza Amarilla | Matías Tatangelo | Resigned | 27 September 2019 | 16th | Luis Miguel Garcés | 9 October 2019 |
| Barcelona | Leonardo Ramos | Resigned | 30 October 2019 | 3rd | Nelson Tapia (caretaker) | 31 October 2019 |
| Barcelona | Nelson Tapia | End of caretaker spell | 4 November 2019 | 2nd | Tabaré Silva | 4 November 2019 |

## First stage

The First stage began on February 8 and ended on November 3. The top eight teams at the end of this stage advanced to the playoffs, while the bottom two were relegated.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Macará | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 16 | +31 | 62 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Barcelona | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 55 | 38 | +17 | 55 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 3 | Universidad Católica | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 53 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 4 | Delfín | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 53 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 5 | Independiente del Valle | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 52 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 6 | LDU Quito | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 49 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 7 | Aucas | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 49 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 8 | Emelec | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 43 | 30 | +13 | 46 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 9 | El Nacional | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 44 | |
| 10 | Deportivo Cuenca | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 42 | |
| 11 | Olmedo | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 34 | 44 | −10 | 34 | |
| 12 | Guayaquil City | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 31 | |
| 13 | Mushuc Runa | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 30 | |
| 14 | Técnico Universitario | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 29 | |
| 15 | América de Quito (R) | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 41 | −15 | 25 | Relegation to Serie B |
| 16 | Fuerza Amarilla (R) | 30 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 24 | 74 | −50 | 6 | Relegation to Serie B |
* ↑ El Nacional were deducted one point for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS for the month of August.
* ↑ Deportivo Cuenca were deducted one point for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS for the month of May.
* ↑ Fuerza Amarilla were deducted four points for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS, and one additional point for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS for the month of May.

### Results

| Home \ Away | AME | AUC | BAR | DEL | CUE | NAC | EME | FAM | GUA | IDV | LDQ | MAC | MUS | OLM | TEC | CAT |
| América de Quito | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Aucas | 3–0 | — | 3–4 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Barcelona | 4–0 | 2–1 | — | 3–1 | 6–2 | 5–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Delfín | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 2–1 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1–2 |
| El Nacional | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Emelec | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Fuerza Amarilla | 3–0 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–4 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Guayaquil City | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| Independiente del Valle | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| LDU Quito | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–5 |
| Macará | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Mushuc Runa | 2–1 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | — | 1–4 | 3–4 | 1–1 |
| Olmedo | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–0 |
| Técnico Universitario | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–3 | — | 1–2 |
| Universidad Católica | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 6–2 | — |
* ↑ Match awarded 3–0 to América de Quito due to Deportivo Cuenca being suspended by FEF.
* ↑ Match awarded 3–0 to América de Quito due to Fuerza Amarilla being suspended by FEF.
* ↑ The match, which originally ended 0–0, was awarded 3–0 to Emelec due to América de Quito fielding the suspended player Onofre Mejía. Although a decision by LigaPro's Committee of Appeals overrode this ruling and restored the original score, on 10 September 2019 the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted the appeal filed by Emelec, awarding the match to the aforementioned club.

## Playoffs

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 7 | Aucas | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | Aucas | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | LDU Quito | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | |
| 6 | LDU Quito | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | LDU Quito | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | |
| 3 | Universidad Católica | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Universidad Católica | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | | 6 | LDU Quito | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) |
| | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Delfín (p) | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) |
| 5 | Independiente del Valle | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Delfín (p) | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) |
| 4 | Delfín (bsr) | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Delfín (bsr) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Delfín | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | |
| | | | | | 1 | Macará | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 8 | Emelec | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Macará | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 1 | Macará (bsr) | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Emelec | 3–3 (bsr) | Macará | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Aucas | 1–0 | Barcelona | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| LDU Quito | 4–3 | Universidad Católica | 2–3 | 2–0 |
| Independiente del Valle | 2–2 (bsr) | Delfín | 0–0 | 2–2 |

#### Second leg
### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Delfín | 3–2 | Macará | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Aucas | 1–3 | LDU Quito | 1–3 | 0–0 |

#### Second leg
### Finals

Tied 0–0 on aggregate, Delfín won on penalties.
* Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol 2019 Serie A champions
* Delfín 1st title

## International qualification

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Macará | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 16 | +31 | 62 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 2 | Barcelona | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 55 | 38 | +17 | 55 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores first stage |
| 3 | Universidad Católica | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 53 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 4 | Delfín (C) | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 53 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 5 | Independiente del Valle | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 52 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 6 | LDU Quito | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 49 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 7 | Aucas | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 49 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 8 | Emelec | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 43 | 30 | +13 | 46 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 9 | El Nacional | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 44 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 10 | Deportivo Cuenca | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 42 | |
| 11 | Olmedo | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 34 | 44 | −10 | 34 | |
| 12 | Guayaquil City | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 31 | |
| 13 | Mushuc Runa | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 30 | |
| 14 | Técnico Universitario | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 29 | |
| 15 | América de Quito | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 41 | −15 | 25 | |
| 16 | Fuerza Amarilla | 30 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 24 | 74 | −50 | 6 | |
* ↑ Independiente del Valle qualified for the Copa Libertadores group stage by winning the 2019 Copa Sudamericana.
* ↑ El Nacional were deducted one point for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS for the month of August.
* ↑ El Nacional qualified for the Copa Sudamericana first stage since the Copa Ecuador top four as well as the league top eight were already qualified for international competition.
* ↑ Deportivo Cuenca were deducted one point for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS for the month of May.
* ↑ Fuerza Amarilla were deducted four points for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS, and one additional point for failing to submit their payrolls and social security contributions to the IESS for the month of May.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Luis Amarilla | Universidad Católica | 19 |
| 2 | Raúl Becerra | Deportivo Cuenca | 18 |
| 3 | Michael Estrada | Macará | 17 |
| 4 | Fidel Martínez | Barcelona | 16 |
| 5 | Carlos Garcés | Delfín | 14 |
| 5 | Gonzalo Mastriani | Guayaquil City | 14 |
| 5 | Bruno Vides | Universidad Católica | 14 |
| 8 | Rodrigo Aguirre | LDU Quito | 12 |
| 9 | Jonathan Borja | El Nacional | 11 |
| 10 | Roberto Ordóñez | Delfín | 10 |
| 10 | Muriel Orlando | Olmedo | 10 |
Source: Soccerway