| Competition: | Copa Credife Serie A |
| Season: | 2009 |
| Winners: | Deportivo Quito (4th title) |
| Relegated: | LDU Portoviejo Técnico Universitario |
| Continentalcup1: | 2010 Copa Libertadores |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Deportivo Quito Deportivo Cuenca Emelec |
| Continentalcup2: | 2009 Copa Sudamericana |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Emelec LDU Quito |
| League Topscorer: | Claudio Bieler (22 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Barcelona 5–0 LDU Portoviejo |
| Biggest Away Win: | LDU Portoviejo 0–4 LDU Quito |
| Highest Scoring: | Emelec 5–1 ESPOLI Olmedo 3–3 Macará Técnico Universitario 3–3 Olmedo |
| Matches: | 232 |
| Total Goals: | 527 |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 17 matches: LDU Quito (May 16 – Sep 16) |
| Highest Attendance: | 33,250 (Deportivo Quito v. Macará) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 54 (Manta v. ESPOLI) |
| Average Attendance: | 4,870 |
| Prevseason: | 2008 |
The 2009 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol de la Serie A was the 51st season of the Serie A, Ecuador's premier football league. The season began on January 31 and ended on December 7. Deportivo Quito successfully defended their title for their fourth overall.
Owing to a change in sponsorship from Pilsener to Credife, the tournament will be called the Copa Credife Serie A for the next three years until 2011.[1]
For 2009, a new format was introduced and approved by Ecuadorian Football Federation. The new tournament was divided into four stages, as opposed to the usual three. All matches were scheduled to be played on Sundays, but some were moved at the clubs' requests.[2]
The First Stage was a double round-robin tournament in which the twelve teams played against each other teams twice: once at home and once away. At the end of the stage, the top-four teams with the most points qualified to the Third Stage; the top three earned bonus points (3, 2, & 1 respectively). The top-two teams also qualified to the 2009 Copa Sudamericana.
In the Second Stage, the teams were divided into two groups of six. Groups were formed by draw, but did not have no more than one team from each provincial organization (the exception being Pichincha). The teams played within their groups in a double round-robin tournament and in a local derby (Spanish; Castilian: clásico). The derbies were played on the third and seventh match day of the stage.
Group 1
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Group 2
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At the end of this stage, the two-top teams from each group qualified to the Third Stage; the top team in each group earned one bonus point for the Third Stage. The two teams with the fewest points in the First and Second Stage aggregate table were relegated to the Serie B for the next season.
In the Third Stage, the eight qualified teams were placed into two groups of four depending on their position on the aggregate table.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Fourth Stage.
The Fourth Stage will consist of two head-to-head match-ups: one by the top-finisher of each group in the Third Stage, and the other by the runners-up. The match between the top finishers in the Third Stage will determine the national champion; the other will determine who finished third and fourth. The national champion, runner-up, and third-place finisher will each have a berth in the 2010 Copa Libertadores. The Ecuador 1 berth will go to the national champion, Ecuador 2 will go to the runner-up, and Ecuador 3 to the third-place finisher.
Twelve teams competed in the 2009 Serie A season, ten of whom remained from the 2008 season. Deportivo Azogues and Universidad Católica were relegated last season to the Serie B after accumulating the fewest points in the First and Second Stage aggregate table. They were replaced by Manta and LDU Portoviejo, the 2008 Serie B winner and runner-up, respectively. This was Manta's second spell and second season in the Serie A, having previously played in the 2003 season. LDU Portoviejo were playing in their 22nd season in the league. Their last appearance was in 2001.
| Team | Home city | Home ground | Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Manuel Llop | ||||
| Paúl Vélez | ||||
| Rubén Darío Insúa | ||||
| Julio Asad | ||||
| Gabriel Perrone | ||||
| La Cocha (in Latacunga) | Homero Valencia | |||
| Oswaldo Morelli | ||||
| Jorge Fossati | ||||
| Víctor Marchesini | ||||
| Fabián Bustos | ||||
| Héctor González | ||||
| Jorge Célico |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-season changes | |||||||
| Barcelona | Reinaldo Merlo | Sacked | December 9, 2008[3] | Benito Floro | December 18, 2008[4] | N/A | |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Paúl Vélez | Replaced | December 14, 2008 | Guillermo Duró | November 18, 2008[5] | N/A | |
| Deportivo Quito | Carlos Sevilla | Sacked | December 15, 2008[6] | Rubén Insúa | December 18, 2008 | N/A | |
| LDU Quito | Edgardo Bauza | Resigned | December 22, 2008 | Jorge Fossati | January 9, 2009[7] | N/A | |
| El Nacional | Jorge Célico | Sacked | January 28, 2009[8] | Juan Carlos Burbano (interim) | January 29, 2009[9] | N/A | |
| First Stage changes | |||||||
| Técnico Universitario | Giovanni Mera | Sacked | March 13, 2009 | Jorge Célico | March 30, 2009[10] | 12th | |
| Macará | Mario Jacquet | Sacked | April 7, 2009[11] | Víctor Marchesini | April 7, 2009 | 6th | |
| Olmedo | Dragan Miranovic | Resigned | May 18, 2009[12] | Héctor González (care-taker) | May 19, 2009 | 9th | |
| Barcelona | Benito Floro | Sacked | June 1, 2009[13] | Flavio Perlaza (interim) | June 1, 2009 | 10th | |
| Manta | Carlos Pico | Resigned | July 6, 2009[14] | Fabián Bustos | July 9, 2009[15] | 11th | |
| El Nacional | Juan Carlos Burbano | Resigned | July 12, 2009[16] | Julio Asad | July 16, 2009 | 6th | |
| Barcelona | Flavio Perlaza | Replaced | June 18, 2009 | Juan Manuel Llop | June 18, 2009[17] | 11th | |
| Second Stage changes | |||||||
| ESPOLI | Paulo Massa | Resigned | ? | Roberto Abruzzese | September 8, 2009[18] | 5th in B | |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Guillermo Duró | Resigned | September 16, 2009[19] | Paúl Vélez | September 17, 2009[20] | 3rd in A | |
| Third Stage changes | |||||||
| ESPOLI | Roberto Abruzzese | Mutual | October 7, 2009[21] | Homero Valencia | October 7, 2009[22] | N/A | |
The first stage ran from January 31 to July 12. The top-two teams qualified to the 2009 Copa Sudamericana. The top-four teams qualified to the Third Stage.
The Second Stage began on July 19 and ended on October 3. The top-two teams from each group qualified to the Third Stage.