The 2017–18 Liga FPD season, also known as Campeonato Banco Popular for sponsorship reasons,[2] is the 97th since its establishment. The tournament is the first since the 2006–07 season to use the Apertura and Clausura names to their short tournaments, marking a departure from the Invierno and Verano tournaments.[2][5]

Liga FPD
Season2017–18
DatesApertura 2017:
29 July[1] – 23 December[2]
Clausura 2018:
7 January – 20 May[3]
ChampionsApertura:
Pérez Zeledón (1st title)

Clausura:
Saprissa (34th title)
Champions LeagueSaprissa
CONCACAF LeaguePérez Zeledón
Herediano
Santos de Guápiles
Matches played146
Goals scored426 (2.92 per match)
Top goalscorerJonathan McDonald
(15 goals)
Biggest home winSaprissa 6–1 Grecia
(3/4 September 2017)
Santos 5–0 Grecia
(29 October 2017)
Herediano 5–0 UCR
(1 November 2017)
Biggest away winGuadalupe 0–4 Santos
(15 October 2017)
Cartaginés 2–6 Carmelita
(25 October 2017)
Liberia 1–5 Saprissa
(19 November 2017)
Highest scoringCartaginés 2–6 Carmelita
(25 October 2017)
Longest winning run5 matches
Herediano (Two times)
Longest unbeaten run22 matches
Herediano
Longest winless run8 matches
Guadalupe
UCR (Two times)
Longest losing run6 matches
Alajuelense
Guadalupe
Liberia
Highest attendance17,037
Saprissa 2–0 Alajuelense
(29 October 2017)[4]
Lowest attendance210
Santos 4–0 Pérez Zeledón
(30 July 2017)[4]
Total attendance388,793[4]

The Voit Lummo is the official match ball of the tournament.[6] Herediano entered as the defending champions, but lost the title in the Apertura finals to Pérez Zeledón.

Teams

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Twelve teams contested for the league title; ten sides from the 2016–17 season, one team promoted from the Liga de Ascenso and a newly formed team.

Grecia were promoted for their debut in the Liga FPD after defeating Jicaral in the Liga de Ascenso final, thus replacing San Carlos in the Liga FPD.[7]

Guadalupe is a newly established team that take over the previous franchise of Belén.[8] UNAFUT authorized the name change just two days before the beginning of the season.[9]

On 2 June 2017 Henning Jensen, rector of the University of Costa Rica, announced the cease of the agreement between the university and its homonymous club, citing that the transfer of the administrative management of the team to the Colombian company Con Talla Mundial was neither requested nor advised to the university. Jensen also stated that the club did not comply with the correction in the financial part of the club.[10] On 19 June 2017, Con Talla Mundial announced that the club will now be under the name "Universitarios FC".[11] The administration of the team had revealed the team badge and their intentions to use the Estadio Nacional as their home stadium.[12] However, the Asociación Filial Club de Fútbol UCR, which holds the rights of the team within the league, sued the University because of their cease of the agreement. The club then retains its original name and is due to return to the Estadio Ecológico.[13]

Stadia and locations

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Alajuelense Carmelita Cartaginés Grecia Guadalupe Herediano
Alejandro Morera Soto "Fello" Meza Allen Riggioni "Coyella" Fonseca Eladio Rosabal Cordero
Capacity: 18,000 Capacity: 13,500 Capacity: 4,000 Capacity: 4,500 Capacity: 8,500
         
Liberia Limón Pérez Zeledón Santos de Guápiles Saprissa UCR
Edgardo Baltodano Juan Gobán Estadio Municipal Ebal Rodríguez Ricardo Saprissa Estadio Ecológico
Capacity: 5,979 Capacity: 3,000 Capacity: 6,000 Capacity: 3,000 Capacity: 23,112 Capacity: 1,800
         

Torneo Apertura

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The Apertura tournament will be played in the second half of 2017, starting on 29 July and, given the possibility of a final, ending on 23 December.[2][1] The tournament is dedicated to former referee Luis Paulino Siles who, in 1982, became the first Costa Rican to officiate a match at a FIFA World Cup.[14]

The tournament began with two scoreless draws in the UCR vs Cartaginés and Herediano vs Guadalupe matches. Saprissa's Luis Stewart Pérez scored the first goal of the tournament, during his team's match against Carmelita.[15]

Regular season

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Defending champions Herediano topped the season undefeated with 54 points. By achieving this, Herediano broke two records in the league. They became the first team with the longest undefeated streak (surpassing the 21-match streak by Saprissa in the 2003–04 season, the team being coincidentally managed by Hernán Medford). The team also broke the record for more points achieved in a regular season, surpassing Alajuelense in the 2014 Invierno season.[16]

On 3 September 2017, the match between Saprissa and Grecia was suspended at the 81st minute due to a false bomb threat.[17] The remaining nine minutes were played the next morning.[18]

Standings

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Herediano 22 16 6 0 41 12 29 54 Advanced to the quadrangular and a possible final
2 Saprissa 22 13 4 5 50 27 23 43 Advanced to the quadrangular
3 Santos de Guápiles 22 11 7 4 46 28 18 40
4 Pérez Zeledón 22 10 6 6 43 33 10 36
5 Alajuelense 22 8 7 7 38 31 7 31
6 Grecia 22 8 7 7 31 37 −6 31
7 Limón 22 7 9 6 35 36 −1 30
8 Cartaginés 22 4 11 7 27 38 −11 23
9 UCR 22 4 8 10 16 28 −12 20
10 Carmelita 22 4 6 12 29 38 −9 18
11 Guadalupe 22 3 7 12 22 36 −14 16
12 Liberia 22 4 2 16 23 57 −34 14
Updated to match(es) played on 16 November 2017. Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) draw

Quadrangular – Apertura

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Standings

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Pérez Zeledón 6 4 1 1 9 6 3 13 Final
2 Saprissa 6 3 1 2 7 6 1 10
3 Herediano 6 2 0 4 5 5 0 6 Final
4 Santos de Guápiles 6 1 2 3 3 7 −4 5
Source: UNAFUT.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) draw

Apertura finals

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Since regular season leaders Herediano were unable to top the quadrangular stage, a double-legged final will be played against the quadrangular winner Pérez Zeledón in order to determine the champions of the Apertura tournament. By getting more points in the aggregate table, Herediano will host the second leg.[19]

Pérez Zeledón1–0Herediano
Venegas   15'

Herediano0–0Pérez Zeledón
Referee: Keylor Herrera

Torneo Clausura

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The Clausura tournament will be played in the first half of 2018, starting on 7 January and, given the possibility of a final, ending on 20 May.[3] The tournament is dedicated to the Costa Rica national football team squad that played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, represented by their captain Róger Flores.[21]

Regular season

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Standings

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Herediano 22 13 6 3 34 14 20 45 Advance to the quadrangular and a possible final
2 Saprissa 22 13 5 4 43 21 22 44 Advance to the quadrangular
3 Alajuelense 22 13 4 5 46 25 21 43
4 Santos 22 10 9 3 30 16 14 39
5 Guadalupe 22 7 8 7 28 32 −4 29
6 Limón 22 7 7 8 31 31 0 28
7 Pérez Zeledón 22 7 7 8 27 32 −5 28
8 UCR 22 6 7 9 26 32 −6 25
9 Carmelita 22 7 4 11 26 39 −13 25
10 Grecia 22 6 6 10 27 34 −7 24
11 Liberia 22 3 6 13 18 44 −26 15
12 Cartaginés 22 1 9 12 16 32 −16 12
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) draw

Results

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Home \ Away ALA CRM CAR GRE GUA HER LIB LIM PEZ SAN SAP UCR
Alajuelense MD22 MD16 MD12 MD08 MD03 MD06 1–0 MD15 MD20 MD18 MD10
Carmelita MD11 2–1 MD21 MD07 MD13 MD19 MD17 MD05 MD03 MD15 MD09
Cartaginés MD05 MD12 MD18 MD15 MD20 MD22 MD10 MD17 MD08 MD03 1–1
Grecia 1–2 MD10 MD07 MD13 MD15 MD09 MD03 MD19 MD05 MD17 MD22
Guadalupe MD19 MD18 2–1 2–1 MD06 MD14 MD09 MD11 MD12 MD21 MD16
Herediano MD14 0–1 MD09 MD04 MD17 MD10 MD19 MD07 MD22 MD05 MD12
Liberia MD17 MD08 MD11 MD20 MD03 MD21 MD05 MD13 MD15 0–3 MD18
Limón MD13 MD06 MD21 MD14 MD20 MD08 MD16 1–1 MD18 MD11 MD04
Pérez Zeledón MD04 MD16 MD06 MD08 MD22 MD18 2–2 MD12 MD10 MD20 MD14
Santos MD09 MD14 MD19 MD16 1–1 MD11 MD04 MD07 MD21 MD13 MD06
Saprissa MD07 MD04 MD14 MD06 MD10 MD16 MD12 MD22 MD09 1–0 MD19
C.F. Universidad de Costa Rica MD21 MD20 MD13 MD11 MD05 0–1 MD07 MD15 2–1 MD17 MD08
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [1]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Quadrangular – Clausura

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Saprissa 6 3 2 1 13 8 5 11 Final
2 Alajuelense 6 3 2 1 10 8 2 11
3 Herediano 6 3 0 3 8 7 1 9 Final
4 Santos 6 1 0 5 5 13 −8 3
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) draw

Clausura Finals

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Since regular season leaders Herediano were unable to top the quadrangular stage, a double-legged final will be played against the quadrangular winner Saprissa in order to determine the champions of the Clausura tournament.

Herediano1–1Saprissa
O. Arrellano   11'   80' Y. Salinas

Saprissa0–0 (a.e.t.)Herediano
Penalties
4-3

Aggregate table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Herediano 44 29 12 3 75 26 49 99 2018 CONCACAF League
2 Saprissa 44 26 9 9 93 48 45 87 2019 CONCACAF Champions League
3 Santos de Guápiles 44 21 16 7 76 44 32 79 2018 CONCACAF League
4 Alajuelense 44 21 11 12 84 56 28 74
5 Pérez Zeledón 44 17 13 14 70 65 5 64 2018 CONCACAF League
6 Limón 44 14 16 14 66 67 −1 58
7 Grecia 44 14 13 17 58 71 −13 55
8 Guadalupe 44 10 15 19 50 68 −18 45
9 UCR 44 10 15 19 42 60 −18 45
10 Carmelita 44 11 10 23 55 77 −22 43
11 Cartaginés 44 5 20 19 43 70 −27 35
12 Liberia 44 7 8 29 41 89 −48 29 Relegation to the 2018–19 Liga de Ascenso
Updated to match(es) played on 15 November 2017. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) draw

References

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  1. ^ a b Molina, José Pablo (28 July 2017). "A las puertas de un nuevo certamen". UNAFUT.com (in European Spanish). UNAFUT. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Molina, José Pablo (20 June 2017). "Últimos campeones abrirán en casa el certamen de Apertura 2017". www.unafut.com (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2017-06-25. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b Molina Salas, José Pablo. "UNAFUT presentó el calendario del Campeonato Clausura 2018". www.unafut.com (in European Spanish). UNAFUT. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Asistencia y recaudación". UNAFUT.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  5. ^ Coto, Gerardo (25 July 2017). "Los torneos de Apertura vuelven al fútbol nacional". UNAFUT.com (in European Spanish). UNAFUT. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  6. ^ Molina, José Pablo (20 June 2017). "El Campeón abre en Guadalupe | El Guardián.cr". El Guardián (Costa Rica) (in European Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Masís, Fiorella; Jiménez, Daniel (28 May 2017). "Grecia asciende a Primera División de la mano de Paté Centeno". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  8. ^ Mendoza, Adrián (26 May 2017). "Belén desaparece para dar paso a Guadalupe FC". CRHoy (in European Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  9. ^ Jiménez, Daniel (27 July 2017). "Guadalupe FC recibe aval para cambio de nombre en la Unafut". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  10. ^ Córdoba, Javier (2 June 2017). "UCR acaba vínculo con equipo de fútbol de primera división". Semanario Universidad (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  11. ^ Oviedo, Steven (19 June 2017). "Equipo de la UCR cambia de nombre, anuncia la llegada de 17 jugadores y nuevo cuerpo técnico". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  12. ^ Segura, Geovanny (22 June 2017). "Universitarios FC buscará el Estadio Nacional como su sede para este torneo". La Prensa Libre. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  13. ^ Tayver, Fanny (7 July 2017). "Equipo de fútbol sigue llamándose UCR y hasta regresa al Estadio Ecológico". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  14. ^ Coto, Gerardo. "Primer silbatero mundialista de Costa Rica será el dedicado del Apertura". UNAFUT.com (in European Spanish). UNAFUT. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  15. ^ Álvarez, Cristian (30 July 2017). "Luis Stewart Pérez anotó el primer gol del Apertura 2017". Diario Digital Nuestro País. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  16. ^ Brenes, Cristian (21 November 2017). "Herediano impone récords aplastando dentro y fuera de casa". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  17. ^ Álvarez, Cristian (3 September 2017). "El partido Saprissa-Grecia fue suspendido por una falsa amenaza de bomba". Diario Digital Nuestro País (in European Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  18. ^ "Comunicado Oficial: Evacuación del estadio Ricardo Saprissa". UNAFUT.com. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Resultados". unafut.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 17 December 2017. En esta serie final el equipo local en el segundo juego sera el mejor ubicado en la tabla acumulada
  20. ^ "FIFA Referees News: Costa Rica : 2017 Torneo Apertura Final". 23 December 2017.
  21. ^ Coto, Gerardo (4 January 2018). "Un campeonato para 22 leyendas". unafut.com (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
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