2022–23_Premier_League_of_Belize
2022–23 Premier League of Belize
Football league season
The 2022–23 Premier League of Belize is the tenth season of the Premier League of Belize, the highest competitive football league in Belize, after it was founded in 2011. The league commenced in July 2022 and is scheduled to end in mid 2023. The season is divided into two halves (opening and closing), each crowning one champion.
| Season | 2022–23 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 July 2022 – 28 May 2023 |
| Champions | Opening: Altitude Closing: Verdes |
| CONCACAF Central American Cup | Verdes |
| Matches played | 124 |
| Goals scored | 346 (2.79 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Opening: Andres Orozco (11 goals) Closing: Horace Avila (9 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Opening: Verdes 5–0 Belmopan Bandits (11 September 2022) Port Layola 5–0 Belmopan Bandits (23 October 2022) Closing: Verdes 5–0 Internacional FC (5 March 2023) |
| Biggest away win | Opening: Belmopan Bandits 0–4 Verdes (29 October 2022) Closing: Wagiya 0–8 Progresso (9 April 2023) |
| Highest scoring | Opening: Belmopan Bandits 4–2 Wagiya (24 September 2022) Closing: Port Layola 6–2 Wagiya (5 March 2023) Wagiya 0–8 Progresso (9 April 2023) |
| Longest winning run | Opening: 3 matches Altitude San Pedro Pirates Verdes Wagiya Closing: 4 matches Progresso |
| Longest unbeaten run | Opening: 9 matches Verdes Closing: 11 matches Progresso |
| Longest winless run | Opening: 8 matches Belmopan Bandits Closing: 14 matches Internacional FC |
| Longest losing run | Opening: 4 matches Belmopan Bandits Port Layola Wagiya Closing: 10 matches Internacional FC |
← 2019–20 2023–24 → | |
There were eight teams that participated in the 2022–23 season. From the 2021–22 FFB Top League, administered by the Football Federation of Belize, four teams returned to the league. These were Altitude, San Pedro Pirates, Verdes and Wagiya. After a brief hiatus from top level football, Belmopan Bandits also returned to the league. The three other teams were made up of Benque Viejo United, who played under the license of Police United, Progresso from Orange Walk, who previously competed in amateur level competitions in the country, and Port Layola, a newly formed team from Belize City.[1]
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | Independence | Michael Ashcroft Stadium | 2,000 |
| Benque Viejo United | Benque | Marshalleck Stadium | 2,000 |
| Internacional FC[lower-alpha 1] | Belmopan | Isidoro Beaton Stadium | 2,500 |
| Port Layola | Belize City | MCC Grounds Marion Jones Sports Complex |
2,000 7,500 |
| Progresso | Orange Walk | Orange Walk People's Stadium | 4,500 |
| San Pedro Pirates | San Pedro | Ambergris Stadium | 1,500 |
| Verdes | San Ignacio | Norman Broaster Stadium | 2,000 |
| Wagiya | Dangriga | Carl Ramos Stadium | 3,500 |
- Belmopan Bandits changed their name to Internacional Futbol Club in February 2023.
The General Manager of the league, Wіlhеlm Міguеl ѕtated that thе format of the oреnіng sеаѕоn wіll initially fеаturе а dоublе rоund rоbіn рhаѕе. The top fоur ranked tеаmѕ will then quаlіfу for a hоmе аnd аwау ѕеmіfіnаls, with thе wіnnеrѕ mееting іn a twо-gаmе fіnаlѕ.[2] The opening season commenced on 30 July 2022.[3]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Altitude | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 32 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | Verdes | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 9 | +15 | 27 | |
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 23 | |
| 4 | Progresso | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 18 | |
| 5 | Benque Viejo United | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Port Layola | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 16 | |
| 7 | Wagiya | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 23 | −8 | 14 | |
| 8 | Belmopan Bandits | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 32 | −21 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
| Home \ Away | ALT | BEL | BEN | POR | PRO | SPE | VER | WAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |
| Belmopan Bandits | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 4–2 | |
| Benque Viejo United | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Port Layola | 3–2 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | |
| Progresso | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | |
| San Pedro Pirates | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | |
| Verdes | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |
| Wagiya | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Altitude | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | Progresso | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
| 1 | Altitude (p) | 1 | 1 | 2 (11) | |||||||||
| 2 | Verdes | 1 | 1 | 2 (10) | |||||||||
| 2 | Verdes | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||
| 3 | San Pedro Pirates | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
Semifinals
Game One[4]
| 12 November 2022 | San Pedro Pirates | 2 – 2 | Verdes | Ambergris Stadium, San Pedro |
| 19:30 | Andir Chi  80' Erick Izquierdo 90+3' |
Desmond Wade 60' Krisean Lopez 90+5' |
| 13 November 2022 | Progresso | 1 – 2 | Altitude | Orange Walk People's Stadium, Orange Walk |
| 15:30 | Dedron Baptist 80' |
Dellon Torres 54' Aloisio Teixeira 82' |
Game Two[5]
| 19 November 2022 | Altitude | 1 – 0 (3 – 1 agg.) | Progresso | Michael Ashcroft Stadium, Independence |
| 20:00 | Miguel Garcia 58' |
| 20 November 2022 | Verdes | 3 – 2 (5 – 4 agg.) | San Pedro Pirates | Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio |
| 16:00 | Darrell Myvett 14' Desmond Wade 27' Trimayne Harris 58' |
Horace Avila 42' Erick Izquierdo 66' |
Finals
Game One[6]
| 27 November 2022 | Verdes | 1 – 1 | Altitude | Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio |
| 15:30 | Luis Ibarra 71' |
Rene Leslie 78' |
Game Two[7]
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Andres Orozco |
Altitude | 11 |
| 2 |  Luis Ibarra |
Verdes | 9 |
| 3 |  Horace Avila |
San Pedro Pirates | 7 |
| Sean Young |
Port Layola | ||
| 5 | Trimayne Harris |
Verdes | 6 |
 Erick Izquierdo |
San Pedro Pirates | ||
| 7 | Cion Augustine |
Wagiya | 5 |
| Zamir Bonilla |
Progresso | ||
| Desmond Wade |
Verdes |
* Includes playoff goals.
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaren Lambey | Belmopan Bandits | Wagiya | 4–2 (H) | 24 September 2022 |
 Ayrton Sisa | Benque Viejo United | Port Layola | 3–1 (A) | 25 September 2022 |
| Desmond Wade | Verdes | Belmopan Bandits | 4–0 (A) | 29 October 2022 |
All eight teams that participated in the opening season participated in the closing season.[8]
The format will be the same as the opening season with one league consisting of the eight teams, who will play each other twice, with the top four teams advancing to the end of season playoffs. The closing season commenced on 14 January 2023.[9]
In February 2023, part way through the closing season, Belmopan Bandits changed their name to Internacional Futbol Club, after striking a sponsorship deal with a team from Mexico.[10]
Also in February 2023, the Football Federation of Belize Арреаlѕ Соmmіttее ruled thаt Port Layola fіеldеd аn іnеlіgіblе рlауеr in their 2–1 away win аgаіnѕt Verdes оn 29 January 2023. A 3–0 victory was subsequently awarded to Verdes. In addition, the goals scored from this game were annulled, meaning Michael Palacio and Gilroy Thurton from Port Layola and Marco Zavala from Verdes lose a goal each.[11]
Internacional FC forfeited their game against San Pedro Pirates, scheduled for 18 March 2023 at the Ambergris Stadium. The Pirates were awarded a 3–0 victory.[12]
Verdes were also originally awarded a 3–0 victory for their away game against San Pedro Pirates, scheduled for 8 April 2023. This was due to the Pirates failing to provide post-game accommodation to the Belize City based referees, even though the Pirates advised earlier in the week that accommodation was not available.[13] San Pedro Pirates subsequently threatened to withdraw from the league, however a few days later decided to continue participating for the remainder of the closing season, as their prospective withdrawal would affect other teams financially.[14] After a successful appeal by the Pirates, this game was played on 14 May 2023.[15]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verdes | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 8 | +22 | 30 | Advance to Playoffs |
| 2 | San Pedro Pirates | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 33 | 17 | +16 | 26 | |
| 3 | Port Layola | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 25 | |
| 4 | Progresso | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 23 | |
| 5 | Altitude | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 22 | |
| 6 | Benque Viejo United | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 21 | |
| 7 | Wagiya | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 54 | −41 | 6 | |
| 8 | Internacional FC | 14 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 40 | −33 | 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
| Home \ Away | ALT | BEN | INT | POR | PRO | SPE | VER | WAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| Benque Viejo United | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 5–1 | |
| Internacional FC | 0–6 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–6 | 0–0 | 1–2 | |
| Port Layola | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 6–2 | |
| Progresso | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | |
| San Pedro Pirates | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 4–2 | |
| Verdes | 3–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 4–0 | |
| Wagiya | 0–5 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–5 | 0–8 | 0–4 | 1–3 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Verdes | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
| 4 | Progresso | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| 1 | Verdes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2 | San Pedro Pirates | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | San Pedro Pirates | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| 3 | Port Layola | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
Semifinals
Game One[16]
| 17 May 2023 | Port Layola | 2 – 1 | San Pedro Pirates | Marion Jones Sports Complex, Belize City |
| 19:30 | Latrelle Middleton 10', 55' |
Trevor Lennan 65' |
| 17 May 2023 | Progresso | 2 – 1 | Verdes | Orange Walk People's Stadium, Orange Walk |
| 19:30 | Marlon Gutierrez 61' Zamir Bonilla 90+4' |
Darrel Myvett 83' |
Game Two[16]
| 21 May 2023 | Verdes | 3 – 1 (4 – 3 agg.) | Progresso | Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio |
| 16:00 | Joel Burgos 18' Nicolas Rocha Gomez 47' Jordy Polanco 87' |
Jonard Castillo 86' |
| 21 May 2023 | San Pedro Pirates | 4 – 0 (5 – 2 agg.) | Port Layola | Ambergris Stadium, San Pedro |
| 18:00 | Ander Chi 44', 65' Luis Valdez 45+4' (pen.), 50' |
Finals
Game One[17]
| 24 May 2023 | San Pedro Pirates | 0 – 1 | Verdes | Ambergris Stadium, San Pedro |
| 18:30 | Christian Ramirez 90+' |
Game Two[18]
| 28 May 2023 | Verdes | 2 – 1 (3 – 1 agg.) | San Pedro Pirates | Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio |
| 15:30 | Marco Zavala Jeromy James 90+' |
Horace Avila 56' |
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horace Avila |
San Pedro Pirates | 9 |
| 2 | Jonard Castillo |
Progresso | 8 |
| Michael Palacio |
Port Layola | ||
| 4 | Daniel Jimenez |
Benque Viejo United | 7 |
| Latrelle Middleton |
Port Layola | ||
| Andres Orozco |
Altitude | ||
| 7 | Ander Chi |
San Pedro Pirates | 6 |
| Gilroy Thurton |
Port Layola | ||
| Luis Valdez |
San Pedro Pirates | ||
| 10 | Leston Garcia |
Wagiya | 5 |
| Facundo Garnier |
San Pedro Pirates | ||
 Nicolas Rocha Gomez |
Verdes | ||
| Sean Young |
Port Layola |
* Includes playoff goals.
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Avila | San Pedro Pirates | Verdes | 4–2 (A) | 12 February 2023 |
| Jonard Castillo4 | Progresso | Wagiya | 8–0 (A) | 9 April 2023 |
| Andres Orozco | Altitude | Internacional FC | 6–0 (A) | 15 April 2023 |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
- "New Premier League of Belize, featuring three new clubs, delayed one week; to play three pre-season games this weekend". Breaking Belize News. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- "Premier League of Belize Opening Season kicks off this coming weekend". Breaking Belize News. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- "Port Layola holds Verdes to 0-0 draw in Premier League of Belize Opener in Benque". Breaking Belize News. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- "Tight scores in Leg 1 of PLB semi-finals". Amandala. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- "Altitude versus Verdes in PLB Finals". Amandala. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- "1-1 in San Ignacio; Altitude vs Verdes on Saturday in Independence for PLB championship". Amandala. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- "Altitude are national football champs, defeated Verdes in penalty shootout". Amandala. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- "Champions Altitude, Benque Viejo United kick off 2022-2023 Premier League of Belize Closing Championship on Saturday, January 14". Breaking Belize News. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- "Premier League Closing Season kicks off". Amandala. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- "Bandits strike sponsorship deal with Mexican football club, change name to Internacional Fútbol Club". Breaking Belize News. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- "Fооtbаll соntrоvеrѕу – Роrt Lауоlа lоѕе tор ѕроt іn Рrеmіеr Lеаguе оf Веlіzе аftеr FFВ Арреаlѕ Соmmіttее rulеѕ thеу uѕеd іnеlіgіblе рlауеr аgаіnѕt Vеrdеѕ". Breaking Belize News. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- "San Pedro Pirates awarded 3 points after Internacional's no-show last Saturday, Pirates take PLB leadership". Breaking Belize News. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- "Premier League of Belize awards 3 points to Verdes, San Pedro Pirates withdraw from PLB Championship". Breaking Belize News. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- "San Pedro Pirates backtrack on threat to abandon Premier League of Belize, will play against Port Layola on Sunday". Breaking Belize News. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- "PLB reschedules San Pedro-Verdes for Sunday, will attempt to finish Closing Championship by Concacaf League deadline of May 28". Breaking Belize News. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- "Verdes FC vs San Pedro Pirates FC in PLB Finals". Amandala. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- "Verdes edge San Pedro 1-0 in 1st leg of PLB Finals". Breaking Belize News. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- "Verdes are national champions again". Amandala. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.