2019 Ecuadorian Serie A


The 2019 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A 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. 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 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

TeamHome cityStadiumCapacity
América de QuitoQuitoOlímpico Atahualpa35,258
AucasQuitoGonzalo Pozo Ripalda21,689
BarcelonaGuayaquilMonumental Banco Pichincha57,267
DelfínMantaJocay17,834
Deportivo CuencaCuencaBanco del Austro Alejandro Serrano Aguilar18,549
El NacionalQuitoOlímpico Atahualpa35,258
EmelecGuayaquilBanco del Pacífico Capwell38,963
Fuerza AmarillaMachala9 de Mayo16,456
Guayaquil CityGuayaquilChristian Benítez Betancourt10,152
Independiente del ValleSangolquíRumiñahui7,233
LDU QuitoQuitoRodrigo Paz Delgado41,575
MacaráAmbatoBellavista16,467
Mushuc RunaAmbatoCOAC Mushuc Runa6,000
OlmedoRiobambaOlímpico7,233
Técnico UniversitarioAmbatoBellavista16,467
Universidad CatólicaQuitoOlímpico Atahualpa35,258

Personnel and kits

TeamManagerKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
América de Quito Darwin VelozAstroConsorcio Pichincha
Aucas Gabriel SchürrerUmbroBanco del Pacífico
Barcelona Tabaré SilvaMarathonPilsener
Delfín Fabián BustosYeliyanFresh Fish
La Esquina de Ales
Deportivo Cuenca Tabaré SilvaJomaChubb Seguros
El Nacional Marcelo ZuletaLottoAceros ANDEC
Banco General Rumiñahui
Emelec Ismael RescalvoAdidasElectrocables
Fuerza Amarilla Luis Miguel GarcésElohim
Guayaquil City Pool GavilánezAstro
Independiente del Valle Miguel Ángel RamírezMarathonChery
DirecTV
LDU Quito Pablo RepettoPumaBanco Pichincha
Macará Paúl VélezBomanCooperativa San Francisco Ltda.
Mushuc Runa Martín CardettiElohimCooperativa Mushuc Runa
Olmedo Ricardo DillonBomanCooperativa Daquilema
GolTV
Técnico Universitario José Eugenio HernándezBomanCooperativa San Francisco Ltda.
Universidad Católica Santiago EscobarUmbroDiscover Card

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
Deportivo Cuenca Richard PáezResigned12 December 2018Pre-season Luis Soler13 December 2018
El Nacional Eduardo FavaroEnd of contract12 December 2018Pre-season Marcelo Zuleta21 December 2018
Aucas Darío TempestaSacked18 December 2018Pre-season Eduardo Favaro22 December 2018
Barcelona Guillermo AlmadaSigned by Santos Laguna12 April 20195th José Gavica 13 April 2019
Emelec Mariano SosoResigned14 April 201910th Bolívar Vera 16 April 2019
Barcelona José GavicaEnd of caretaker spell21 April 20195th Leonardo Ramos22 April 2019
Independiente del Valle Ismael RescalvoSigned by Emelec26 April 20191st Yuri Solano 26 April 2019
Aucas Eduardo FavaroSacked28 April 20197th Gabriel Schürrer1 May 2019
Emelec Bolívar VeraEnd of caretaker spell30 April 20199th Ismael Rescalvo30 April 2019
Técnico Universitario Fabián FríasSacked30 April 201914th José Eugenio Hernández2 May 2019
Independiente del Valle Yuri SolanoEnd of caretaker spell7 May 20191st Miguel Ángel Ramírez7 May 2019
América de Quito Francisco CorreaResigned13 May 201916th Luis Espinel16 May 2019
Deportivo Cuenca Luis SolerSacked14 May 201911th Jerson Estacio 14 May 2019
Fuerza Amarilla Raúl DuarteSacked21 May 201915th Diego Torres 21 May 2019
Deportivo Cuenca Jerson EstacioEnd of caretaker spell25 May 201910th Tabaré Silva30 May 2019
Fuerza Amarilla Diego TorresEnd of caretaker spell25 May 201915th Matías Tatangelo24 June 2019
Mushuc Runa Geovanny CumbicusSacked28 May 201913th Martín Cardetti30 May 2019
América de Quito Luis EspinelResigned24 September 201915th Darwin Veloz25 September 2019
Fuerza Amarilla Matías TatangeloResigned27 September 201916th Luis Miguel Garcés9 October 2019
Barcelona Leonardo RamosResigned30 October 20193rd Nelson Tapia 31 October 2019
Barcelona Nelson TapiaEnd of caretaker spell4 November 20192nd Tabaré Silva4 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.

Results

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

First leg

Second leg

Semi-finals

First leg

Second leg

Finals

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Tied 0–0 on aggregate, Delfín won on penalties.

International qualification

Top goalscorers

Source: