Ecuador. 18-teams top league, going though three stages. In every stage the number of teams decreased . The last in the opening stage was relegated. The top teams in every stage carried bonus points to the next stage.
Second Division left little information: only the winner.
It was Juventus (Esmeraldas). Full name: Club Social y Deportivo Juventus, sometimes written C.S.D. Juventus, more often just Juventus. Little known club – this championship was the their highest achievement, never to be repeated: champions of Second Division. Promotion came along with the title and they were going to experience top level football for the first time on their history in 1988.
First Division, First Stage – standard league championship. The top 12 teams qualified to the Second Stage, the winner got 2 bonus points and the second best – 1 bonus point. The last team in the final table was relegated. Five teams ended their season with the end of this stage – those placed from 13th to 17th plus the relegated 18th.
Deportivo Cotopaxi (Latacunga) was last and relegated with 12 points. Hopeless outsiders, really.
River Plate (Riobamba) – 17th with 24 points.
Esmeraldas Petrolero (Esmeraldas) – 16th with 25 points.
Universidad Capolica (Quito) – 15th with 25 points. Standing from left: Eloy Jarrín, Patiño, De Souza, Amarilla, Francisco Reinoso, Juan C. Jácome.
First row: Antonio Arias, Patricio Corella, Mario Raffart, Víctor Chiliquinga, Toledo.
Deportivo Quevedo (Quevedo) – 14th with 28 points.
America (Quito) – 13th with 30 points.
The top 12 qualified to Second Stage: Macara – 12th with 34 points, Tecnico Universitario – 11th with 34 points, Emelec – 10th with 34 points, LDU de Portoviejo – 9th with 36 points, Audaz Octobrino – 8th with 37 points, Aucas – 7th with 37 points, Deportivo Quito – 6th with 37 points, Filanbanco – 5th with 42 points, Deportivo Cuenca – 4th with 43 points, LDU de Quito – 3rd with 43 points, El Nacional – 2nd with 44 points, and
Barcelona (Guayaquil) – first with 47 points. As stage winners, they got 2 bonus points.
Standing from left: Fausto Klinger, Holger Quinones, Toninho Vieira, Morales, Lorenzo Klinger, Vasconcelos.
Crouching: Lupo Quinones, Alfredo De Los Santos, Flavio Perlaza, Mauricio Arguello, Galo Vasquez.
With frequent South American squad changes… this team spreads from 1985 to at least first half of 1987.
Second Stage – the qualified 12 teams were divided into 2 groups and the top 2 teams in each group qualified to the Liguilla Final, the third and last stage. The group winners got 1 bonus point. Bonus points will be given in brackets.
Group 1.
Tecnico Universitario (Ambato) – 6th with 5 points. Standing from left: Oscar Achilier, Arias, Julio Lasalvia, Villegas, Fabián Burbano, Juan F. Muhlethaler.
Front: Martín Caballero, Raúl A. Murillo, Fausto Delgado, Cristóbal Nazareno, Luis Chérrez.
Two Uruguyans here: Julio Lasalvia and Juan F. Muhlethaler.
LDU (Portoviejo) – 5th with 10 points.
Aucas (Quito) – 4th with 10 points.
LDU (Quito) – 3rd with 10 points.
Filanbanco – 2nd with 13 points – and Barcelona – 1st with 14 points (2 of them carried bonus) – qualified to the final stage. Barcelona got 1 bonus point for finishing first.
Group 2.
Deportivo Cuenca (Cuenca) – 6th with 4 points.
El Nacional (Quito) – 5th with 10 points (1 of them carried bonus point).
Emelec (Guayaquil) – 4th with 10 points.
Macara (Ambato) – 3rd with 11 points.
Audaz Octubrino – 2nd with 12 points – and Deportivo Quito – 1st with 14 points – qualified to the final stage. As group winners, Deportivo Quito got 1 bonus point.
Third stage – Liguilla Final. Four teams played round-robin tournament, meeting twice the others.
Deportivo Quito (Quito) – 4th with 4 points (1 of them bonus).
Audaz Octubrino (Machala) – 3rd with 8 points.
Filanbanco (Milagro) – 2nd with 8 points. Their finest season, finishing unbeaten the final stage and with better goal-difference than Barcelona. But… the opposition carried bonus point.
Barcelona (Guayaquil) finished first with 9 points. 3 wins, 2 ties, and one lost game gave them 8 points. Their goal-difference 5-2 was second-best – Filanbanco had 6-2. It was the bonus point carried from Second Stage making them champions – sheer luck, one may say. But Barcelona won both First and Second Stage, were consistent all the way and thus the more deserving team. Too bad the underdog was unable to win, but in all fairness Barcelona had very strong season and after playing grueling 50 championship games they triumphed with their 8th title. Along with the local stars like Lorenzo Klinger, foreign talent helped – the Uruguayans Walkir Silva and Alfredo de los Santos and Brazilians Toninho Vieira and Vasconcelos.