The Primera División de Fútbol Profesional Apertura 2008 season (officially known as "Torneo Apertura 2008"), started on August 2, 2008, and finished on December 21, 2008.
C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo came into the tournament as defending champions, having won their eighth league title in the previous season. A total of 10 teams contested the league, 8 of which had already participated in the Clausura 2008 season, and two of which had been promoted from the Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño.
The 10 teams of the Primera División each played 18 matches, playing each team twice (home and away). The top four teams qualified directly to the semifinals.
The winner of the final series gained entry into the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League.
Promotion and relegation Promoted from Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño as of June 27, 2008. Champions: C.D. Atlético Balboa Runner-up (won through playoff): Juventud Independiente
Relegated to Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño as of June 27, 2008. Last place: Once Municipal Second last (lost through playoff): San Salvador F.C.
Team information
Personnel and sponsoring Team Chairman Head coach Kitmaker Shirt sponsor Águila Agustín Castillo TBD TBD Alianza Pablo Centrone TBD TBD C.D. Atlético Balboa TBD Gustavo de Simone TBD TBD C.D. Chalatenango Carlos Meléndez FAS Reynaldo Valle Nelson Ancheta TBD TBD Firpo TBD Miguel Obando TBD TBD Juventud Independiente Jorge Abrego TBD TBD Isidro Metapán Edwin Portillo TBD TBD Nejapa F.C. Mauricio Cienfuegos TBD TBD C.D. Vista Hermosa TBD Víctor Coreas TBD TBD
League standings
Semifinals 1st leg
Semifinals 2nd leg
Final
Chalatenango GK Jassir DerasDF Cristian LópezDF Ramón MartínezDF Hermes MartínezDF Roberto García MF Juan Carlos Serrano MF Óscar Navarro MF Léster Blanco MF Manuel Luna FW José Luis Osorio FW Carlos Ayala Substitutes:FW Fredy Vichéz MF Mario Deras MF Amílcar Ramírez Manager: Carlos Antonio Meléndez
Isidro Metapán: GK Dagoberto PortilloDF Ricardo AlvaradoDF Alexander EscobarDF Ernesto Aquino DF Ernesto Iraheta MF Mario AguilarMF Héctor Mejía MF José Amaya MF Paolo SuárezFW Williams Reyes FW Julio Martínez Substitutes:FW José Manuel Martínez MF Erick Dowson Prado DF Jorge Morán Manager: Edwin Portillo
Champion
A.D. Isidro Metapán qualified for 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League.
Season statistics
Scoring First goal of the season: Nicolás Muñoz for Alianza against Balboa (2 August 2008) Fastest goal in a match: 25 seconds – Alejandro de la Cruz Bentos for FAS against Nejapa (26 October 2008) Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 90+9 minutes José Oliveira de Souza for Águila against Independiente (23 August 2008) Widest winning margin: 10 – Águila 10–0 Independiente (23 August 2008) Most goals in a match: 10 Águila 10–0 Independiente (23 August 2008) Balboa 3-7 Independiente (30 August 2008) First hat-trick of the season: José Oliveira de Souza for Águila against Independiente (30 August 2008) First own goal of the season: Luis Espíndola for Nejapa against Balboa (29 October 2008) Most goals by one player in a single match: 3 José Oliveira de Souza for Águila against Independiente (30 August 2008) Most goals by one team in a match: 10 Águila 10–0 Independiente (23 August 2008) Most goals in one half by one team: 6 Águila 10–0 Independiente (23 August 2008) Most goals scored by losing team: 3 Balboa 3-7 Independiente (30 August 2008)
Average home attendance Highest average home attendance: 3,712 (Águila) Lowest average home attendance: 667 (Nejapa)
Clean sheets Most clean sheets - Firpo (9) Fewest clean sheets - Nejapa, Alianza and Independiente (7)
Overall Most wins - Águila (10) Fewest wins - Nejapa (2) Most draws - Balboa (8) Fewest draws - Águila (4) Most losses - Nejapa (11) Fewest losses - Metapán (3) Most goals scored - Águila (39) Fewest goals scored - Nejapa (16) Most goals conceded - Independiente (35) Fewest goals conceded - Vista Hermosa (16)
Home Most wins - Águila and Metapán (6) Fewest wins - Independiente and Alianza (1) Most draws - Independiente (5) Fewest draws - Nejapa and Metapán (1) Most losses - Alianza (4) Fewest losses - Águila, Metapán, FAS, Chalatenango and Vista Hermosa (1) Most goals scored - Metapán (24) Fewest goals scored - Independiente (5) Most goals conceded - Nejapa (20) Fewest goals conceded - Águila (6)
Away Most wins - Águila and FAS (4) Fewest wins - Nejapa (0) Most draws - Metapán and Balboa (5) Fewest draws - Alianza (1) Most losses - Alianza and Nejapa (5) Fewest losses - Metapán (2) Most goals scored - Águila (17) Fewest goals scored - Nejapa (6) Most goals conceded - Independiente (25) Fewest goals conceded - Metapán and Vista Hermosa (9)
Top scorers TotalPlayerTeamGoals per Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1811 Carlos Ayala Chalatenango 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 9 José Oliveira de Souza Águila 2 3 1 1 1 1 8 César Larios FAS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 Williams Reyes Metapán 1 1 1 1 2 2 8 Franklin Webster Balboa 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 7 Edgar Leguizamón Firpo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 Pompilio Cacho Vista Hermosa 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 Rudis Corrales Águila 2 1 1 1 5 Gabriel Garcete Metapán 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 Alcides Bandera Balboa 1 1 1 1 1 5 Emiliano Pedrozo Nejapa 1 1 1 1 1 5 Nicolás Muñoz Alianza 1 1 1 1 1 5 Alfredo Pacheco FAS 1 2 1 1 As of the end of the regular season
Fastest scorers ScorerTime (seconds)TeamOpponent Alejandro de la Cruz Bentos25FASNejapa Mario Aguilar Posada40MetapánFirpo Christian Castillo42AlianzaÁguila
Attendance
Attendance Round Date Home Score Away Venue Weekday Time of Day 14,403 Final 21 December 2008 Chalatenango 3 – 3 Metapán Estadio Cuscatlán Sunday Afternoon 11,463 Semifinal - 2nd leg 13 December 2008 FAS 1 – 3 Metapán Estadio Oscar Quiteño Saturday Night 7,690 Round 2 6 August 2008 Águila 3 – 1 FAS Estadio Juan Francisco Barraza Wednesday Night 6,997 Round 16 12 November 2008 FAS 1 – 0 Águila Estadio Oscar Quiteño Wednesday Night 6,156 Round 8 20 September 2008 Águila 1 – 0 Alianza Estadio Juan Francisco Barraza Saturday Twilight 5,815 Round 15 15 November 2008 FAS 1 – 1 Metapán Estadio Oscar Quiteño Saturday Night 5,307 Round 2 6 August 2008 Alianza 3 – 1 Independiente Estadio Cuscatlán Wednesday Afternoon 5,122 Semifinal - 2nd leg 13 December 2008 Águila 1 – 0 Chalatenango Estadio Juan Francisco Barraza Saturday Night 4,800 Semifinal - 1st leg 7 December 2008 Chalatenango 3 – 0 Águila Estadio José Gregorio Martínez Sunday Afternoon 4,722 Round 13 5 November 2008 Águila 3 – 2 Firpo Estadio Juan Francisco Barraza Wednesday Night 4,510 Round 3 9 August 2008 Firpo 1 – 2 Alianza Estadio Sergio Torres Saturday Night
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Position in table C.D. Chalatenango Juan Ramón Sánchez TBD June 2008 Carlos Antonio Meléndez June 2008 Pre-season Nejapa Mauricio Cienfuegos Mutual consent 14 August 2008 Emiliano Pedrozo August 2008 10th Nejapa Emiliano Pedrozo went back to being a player September 2008 Daniel Uberti 5 September 2008 10th Firpo Gerardo Reinoso Sacked 25 August 2008 Óscar Benítez 2 September 2008 7th Balboa Gustavo de Simone Sacked 30 August 2008 Roberto Gamarra 5 September 2008 10th Alianza Pablo Centrone Sacked 14 September 2008 Carlos Jurado 16 September 2008 5th Firpo Oscar Benítez Sacked 9 December 2008 Agustín Castillo 23 December 2008 Postseason (6th) Águila Agustín Castillo Sacked 15 December 2008 Pablo Centrone 24 December 2008 Postseason (Semifinals) FAS Nelson Ancheta Sacked 27 December 2008 Roberto Gamarra 1 January 2009 Postseason (Semifinals) Nejapa Daniel Uberti Sacked 29 December 2008 Nelson Ancheta 29 December 2008 Postseason (10th) Balboa Roberto Gamarra Mutual consent 1 January 2009 Carlos de Toro 16 January 2009 Postseason (7th) Juventud Jorge Abrego Sacked December 2008 Juan Ramón Sánchez December 2009 Postseason (8th)
List of foreign players in the league This is a list of foreign players in Apertura 2008. The following players: have played at least one apertura game for the respective club. have not been capped for the El Salvador national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace
A new rule was introduced this season that clubs can only have three foreign players per club and can only add a new player if there is an injury or player/s is released.
C.D. Águila José Oliveira Marcelo Messias Arturo Albarrán Leandro Franco
Alianza F.C. Gustavo Méndes Francisco Portillo Juan Carlos Mosquera Nicolás Muñoz
Atlético Balboa Alcides Bandera Franklin Webster Cristian Mosquera Santos Nuñez
Chalatenango Jose Luis Osorio Manuel Luna Hermes Martínez Roberto Chanampe Julio Manrique Ernesto Pezo
C.D. FAS Alejandro Bentos Osvaldo Mendoza Yusuf Sindeh Paulo César Rodrigues
(player released mid season) Injury replacement player
Juventud Independiente Carlos Escalante Lucas Abraham Fabricio Da Silva Nick ´Pimentel
C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo Patricio Barroche Edgar Leguizamón Leonardo Pekarnik Ramón Ávila
Nejapa FC Juan Carlos Reyes Luis Espíndola Henry Josué Martínez
A.D. Isidro Metapán Gabriel Garcete Ernesto Noel Aquino Paolo Suarez Williams Reyes
Vista Hermosa Pompilio Cacho Valerio Luis Torres Rodríguez Elder José Figueroa José Francisco Ramírez
References
External links http://www.elgrafico.com/index.php?cat=4&std https://web.archive.org/web/20070820233416/http://www.laprensagrafica.com/futbol/ http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/deportes/dep_seccion.asp?idCat=6429&opSM=0