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The 2022 Liga Panameña de Fútbol or 2022 Liga LPF (known as the Liga LPF Tigo for sponsorship reasons) was the 35th season of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol (LPF), the top-flight football league in Panama, and the third under the management of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol. The season began on 4 February 2022, when the Apertura tournament started, and ended on 12 November 2022 with the Clausura tournament Final.
The season was originally scheduled to start on 21 January 2022,[1] but the date was pushed back due to the detection of several COVID-19 cases in the participating clubs.[2]
A total of twelve teams competed throughout the entire season, which was divided into two championships: Torneo Apertura and Torneo Clausura, each of them being an independent championship and crowning its own champion.
Same as previous years, the season was divided into two championships: Torneo Apertura and Torneo Clausura. Both Apertura and Clausura were played under the same format which consisted in a Classification stage, where the 12 teams were geographically divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences (6 teams per conference); Play-offs, Semifinals and Final.[3]
Within each conference, teams played each other twice on a double round-robin format (home and away). In addition, each team played one game against all the 6 teams in the opposite conference for a total of 16 games per team in the classification stage. Winners of each conference qualified directly to the semi-finals, whilst the second and third placed teams advanced to the play-offs stage.
The Play-offs stage was played on a single-leg format between the second placed team of each conference against the third placed team of the opposite conference, with the second placed teams hosting the matches. Winners of play-offs advanced to semi-finals to play against the first placed team of each conference on a home-and-away two-legged basis. Winners of the semifinals played the final on a single-leg match at a venue and date determined by the LFP, with highest team ranked in the classification stage acting as the "home" team for "administrative purposes.
A total of 12 teams took part in this season; the same ones that played in the previous 2021 season, including San Francisco,[3] which finished in the last place (12th) on the aggregate table of the 2021 season, which meant its relegation to the 2022 Liga Prom season. However, San Francisco was able to stay in the Liga LPF, subject to the payment of a financial penalty, since the champions and runners-up of the 2021 Liga Prom (Alianza FC II and Panamá Oeste) did not meet the requirements of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol to play in the 2022 Liga LPF.[4]
Stadia and locations
| Team | City | Stadium[5] | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | |||
| Alianza | Panama City | Javier Cruz | 700 |
| Árabe Unido | Colón | Armando Dely Valdés | 4,000 |
| Plaza Amador | Panama City | Rommel Fernandez | 32,000 |
| Javier Cruz | 700 | ||
| Potros del Este | Panama City | Hacienda Country Club | 100 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | San Miguelito | Los Andes | 1,450 |
| Tauro | Panama City | Rommel Fernandez | 32,000 |
| Western Conference | |||
| Atlético Chiriquí | David | San Cristóbal | 2,890 |
| Independiente | La Chorrera | Agustín Sánchez | 3,040 |
| Herrera | Llano Bonito | Los Milagros | 1,000 |
| San Francisco | La Chorrera | Agustín Sánchez | 3,040 |
| Veraguas United | Atalaya | Atalaya | 500 |
| Universitario | Penonomé | Virgilio Tejeira | 900 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head Coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza |  Jair Palacios |
 Kevin Melgar |
Keuka | Clinilab Panamá |
| Árabe Unido | Julio Dely Valdés |
Abdiel Macea |
Kelme | BetCha.pa, AguAseo, Kendall Motor Oil |
| Atlético Chiriquí | Dayron Pérez |
Miguel Saavedra |
Kelme | |
| Herrera |  Alberto Valencia |
Santiago Cedeño |
Strik3r | Varela Hermanos S.A., Betcris, Gran Hotel Azuero, Hertz |
| Independiente | Franklin Narváez |
César Samudio |
Fila | Altos De La Pradera |
| Plaza Amador | Jorge Dely Valdés |
Ricardo Buitrago |
Puma | Sportium, SPARK |
| Potros del Este | Daniel Blanco |
Edgar Góndola |
Luanvi | UniWorld Air Cargo |
| San Francisco | Gary Stempel |
Francisco Palacios |
Strik3r | Betcha.pa |
| Sporting San Miguelito |  Felipe Borowsky |
Adolfo Machado |
Spirits | Teletón 20-30 |
| Tauro | Francisco Perlo |
Edwin Aguilar |
Patrick | Betcha.pa, Universidad del Istmo, KFC |
| Universitario | Julio Infante |
Manuel Torres |
FB Sports | Latin University of Panama |
| Veraguas United |  Villi Trebino |
Rolando Algandona |
Strik3r | Betcris, Super Carnes, La Parmigiana |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura | ||||||
| San Francisco | Jorge Santos |
End of caretaker spell | 20 November 2021 | Pre-season | Gonzalo Soto[i] |
19 January 2022[7][8] |
| Sporting San Miguelito |  Saúl Maldonado |
Mutual agreement | 22 November 2021[9][10] | Felipe Borowsky |
26 November 2021[11] | |
| Veraguas United |  Isaac Jové |
End of contract | 4 December 2021[12] | José Anthony Torres[ii] |
January 2022[13][14] | |
| Independiente |  Francisco Perlo |
Signed by Academia Puerto Cabello | 8 December 2021[15][16] | Iván Guerra |
15 December 2021[17][18] | |
| Árabe Unido | Sergio Angulo |
End of contract | 22 December 2021[19][20][21] | Julio Dely Valdés |
22 December 2021[22] | |
| Tauro | Kike García |
Mutual agreement | 29 December 2021[23] | Rolando Palma |
30 December 2021[24] | |
| Universitario | Gary Stempel |
Resigned | 16 February 2022[25][26] | 6th, WC | Alberto Blanco[ii] |
17 February 2022[25] |
| Veraguas United | José Anthony Torres |
End of caretaker spell | 21 March 2022[27] | 5th, WC | Daniel Lanata |
22 March 2022[28] |
| Torneo Clausura | ||||||
| Veraguas United | Daniel Lanata |
End of contract | 7 May 2022 | Pre-season |  Héctor Blanco |
July 2022[29][30] |
| Independiente | Iván Guerra |
End of contract | 18 May 2022[31][32] | Franklin Narváez |
23 May 2022[33][34] | |
| Herrera | Julio Infante |
Sacked | 20 May 2022[35][36] | Emmanuel Calleja |
23 May 2022[37] | |
| Universitario | Alberto Blanco |
End of contract | 20 May 2022[32] | Julio Infante |
23 June 2022[38] | |
| Atlético Chiriquí | Alberto Valencia |
End of contract | 21 May 2022 | Dayron Pérez |
July 2022[39][40] | |
| Tauro | Rolando Palma |
Sacked | 11 August 2022[41] | 6th, EC | Francisco Perlo[iii] |
13 August 2022[43] |
| San Francisco | Gonzalo Soto |
Mutual agreement | 28 August 2022[44] | 5th, WC | Gary Stempel |
29 August 2022[45] |
| Veraguas United | Héctor Blanco |
Resigned | 20 September 2022[46] | 5th, WC | Villi Trebino |
20 September 2022[46] |
| Herrera | Emmanuel Calleja |
Sacked | 21 September 2022[47] | 6th, WC | Alberto Valencia[iv] |
30 September 2022[48][49] |
- Notes
- Juan Carlos Cubilla was the caretaker manager for the Torneo Apertura 3rd round match against Atlético Chiriquí.[6]
- Manuel Valencia was the caretaker manager for the Torneo Clausura 5th round match against Árabe Unido.[42]
- Miguel Corral was the caretaker manager for the Torneo Clausura 11th and 12th round match against Árabe Unido and Atlético Chiriquí.[47]
The Torneo Apertura began on 4 February and ended on 28 May with the final.
Classification stage
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting San Miguelito | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 33 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Alianza | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 29 | Advance to Play-offs |
| 3 | Tauro | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 27 | |
| 4 | Plaza Amador | 16 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 26 | 18 | +8 | 26 | |
| 5 | Potros del Este | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 23 | −8 | 16 | |
| 6 | Árabe Unido | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 15 | −11 | 10 |
Source: FPF
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Chiriquí | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 28 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Independiente | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 20 | +3 | 26 | Advance to Play-offs |
| 3 | Herrera | 16 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 21 | |
| 4 | San Francisco | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 20 | |
| 5 | Veraguas United | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 27 | −13 | 12 | |
| 6 | Universitario | 16 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 28 | −20 | 8 |
Source: FPF
Results
| Home \ Away | ALI | DAU | ACH | HER | IND | PLA | PDE | SFR | SSM | TAU | CDU | VER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Árabe Unido | 0–1 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 0–2 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Atlético Chiriquí | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–3 | — | — | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Herrera | 0–0 | — | 0–2 | — | 4–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Independiente | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | — | 0–0 | 1–4 | — | — | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Plaza Amador | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 4–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | — |
| Potros del Este | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | — | — | 1–4 | — | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | — |
| San Francisco | — | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — |
| Tauro | 0–1 | 3–0 | — | — | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | — | — | 4–1 |
| Universitario | — | — | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–5 | 1–4 | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–2 |
| Veraguas United | — | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | — |
Bracket
| Play-offs | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||
| EC3 | Tauro | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| WC2 | Independiente | 1 | EC1 | Sporting San Miguelito | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
| EC3 | Tauro (a.e.t.) | 2 | EC1 | Sporting San Miguelito | 1 | |||||||||||
| EC2 | Alianza | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| EC2 | Alianza | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| EC2 | Alianza | 2 | WC1 | Atlético Chiriquí | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| WC3 | Herrera | 0 | ||||||||||||||
Play-offs
Referee: Jorge Negron Marciales
| Independiente | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Tauro |
|---|---|---|
Ávila  15' |
Report |
|
Referee: Jorge Carrasco
Semi-finals
| Alianza | 1–0 | Atlético Chiriquí |
|---|---|---|
| Verley 34' |
Report |
Referee: Fernando Morón
| Atlético Chiriquí | 1–1 | Alianza |
|---|---|---|
| Aparicio 90+9' |
Report | Verley 88' |
Referee: Jafeth Perea
Alianza won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the final.
| Tauro | 1–2 | Sporting San Miguelito |
|---|---|---|
| Chará 60' |
Report | Zúñiga 27', 54' |
Referee: Noriel Reina
Estadio Los Andes, San Miguelito
Referee: Jorge Negron Marciales
Sporting San Miguelito won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the final.
FInal
| Sporting San Miguelito | 1–2 | Alianza |
|---|---|---|
| Peralta 45+2' |
Report | Chiari 25', 78' |
| Torneo Apertura 2022 winners: |
|---|
| Alianza 1st title |
Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgar Aparicio |
Atlético Chiriquí | 7 |
| Víctor Ávila |
Independiente | ||
| Ricardo Buitrago |
Plaza Amador | ||
| 4 | Luis Zúñiga |
Sporting San Miguelito | 6 |
| José Florez |
Atlético Chiriquí | ||
| Sergio Cunningham |
Herrera | ||
| 7 | Ricardo Clarke |
Plaza Amador | 5 |
| Alexis Corpas |
Sporting San Miguelito | ||
| César Medina |
Alianza | ||
| Ángel Orelien |
Plaza Amador | ||
| Omar Valencia |
Tauro |
The Torneo Clausura began on 22 July and ended on 12 November with the final.
Classification stage
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Árabe Unido | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 25 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Sporting San Miguelito | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 25 | Advance to Play-offs |
| 3 | Plaza Amador | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 24 | |
| 4 | Alianza | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 24 | |
| 5 | Tauro | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 24 | |
| 6 | Potros del Este | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 22 |
Source: FPF
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independiente | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 32 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Universitario | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 26 | Advance to Play-offs |
| 3 | San Francisco | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 18 | |
| 4 | Veraguas United | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 15 | |
| 5 | Herrera | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 28 | −18 | 13 | |
| 6 | Atlético Chiriquí | 16 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 25 | −18 | 11 |
Source: FPF
Results
| Home \ Away | ALI | DAU | ACH | HER | IND | PLA | PDE | SFR | SSM | TAU | CDU | VER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza | — | 0–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | — |
| Árabe Unido | 3–0 | — | 2–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | — |
| Atlético Chiriquí | — | — | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | — | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Herrera | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 0–5 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Independiente | — | — | 3–0 | 2–3 | — | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| Plaza Amador | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Potros del Este | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 |
| San Francisco | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 5–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | — | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 |
| Tauro | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | — | 1–2 | — |
| Universitario | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | — | — | 3–1 |
| Veraguas United | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | — | — | 3–1 | — | 1–2 | 0–3 | — |
Bracket
| Play-offs | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||
| EC2 | Sporting San Miguelito | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| EC2 | Sporting San Miguelito | 2 | WC1 | Independiente | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| WC3 | San Francisco | 0 | WC1 | Independiente (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||
| WC2 | Universitario | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| WC2 | Universitario | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| WC2 | Universitario | 1 | EC1 | Árabe Unido | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| EC3 | Plaza Amador | 0 | ||||||||||||||
Play-offs
Estadio Los Andes, San Miguelito
Referee: Jorge Negron Marciales
| Universitario | 1–0 | Plaza Amador |
|---|---|---|
| Carmona 42' |
Report |
Estadio Universidad Latina, Penonomé
Referee: Jafeth Perea
Semi-finals
| Sporting San Miguelito | 1–1 | Independiente |
|---|---|---|
| Sánchez 73' |
Report | Palacios 13' |
Estadio Los Andes, San Miguelito
Referee: José Carrasco
| Independiente | 1–0 | Sporting San Miguelito |
|---|---|---|
| Caicedo 46' |
Report |
Independiente won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the final.
| Universitario | 1–0 | Árabe Unido |
|---|---|---|
| Cox 61' |
Report |
Estadio Universidad Latina, Penonomé
Referee: Oliver Vergara
Referee: Jafeth Perea
Universitario won 1–0 on aggregate and advanced to the final.
FInal
| Independiente | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Universitario |
|---|---|---|
|
Report | Cox 7' |
Referee: Jafeth Perea
| Torneo Clausura 2022 winners: |
|---|
| Independiente 4th title |
Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Cox |
Universitario | 13 |
| 2 | Jorlian Sánchez |
Sporting San Miguelito | 9 |
| 3 | Yoameth Murillo |
Potros del Este | 7 |
| 4 | Dwann Oliveira |
Sporting San Miguelito | 6 |
| César Yanis |
Potros del Este | ||
| 6 | Víctor Ávila |
Árabe Unido | 5 |
| Alexis Cundumi |
Veraguas United | ||
| 8 | Gabriel Brown |
Árabe Unido | 4 |
| Mario Carmona |
Universitario | ||
| Gilberto Hernández |
Independiente | ||
| Jhamal Rodríguez |
San Francisco | ||
| Ángel Sánchez |
Herrera |
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