La Liga Nacional de Fútbol or Liga Nacional is the top professional football division of Bahía Roja. Administered by the Asociación Futbolística de Bahía Roja, the league is contested by 12 teams in a closed association of independently owned clubs from all around Bahía Roja. The league has a fixed membership, but is currently considering expanding to 16 teams by next season.
Throughout its first five editions, three teams have constantly dominated the league. The Universitario de Baruta, champions of the very first Liga, hold the current record for most Nacionales won, with 3 titles to their name. Both Atletico de Puerto Cano and Astronautas F.C hold one title each. Coincidentally, both Atletico and Astronautas have also ended up as runner-ups twice.
Other teams that constantly show potential throughout the league and like to challenge the leaders are the Halcones de Capuchinos and AD Bosqueverde, with Capuchinos ending up as runner-ups in the second edition.CURRENT TEAMSTEAM PROFILESAstronautas F.C
Championships: 1 (Fourth Edition), Runner-Up: 2 (Third and Fifth Edition)
Manager: Julian Dávalos
Rivals: Atletico (The Puerto Cano derby), Universitario
Formation: 4-4-1-1
Main Line-Up: GK Axel Ferrant | DF Arturo Atenas, Darwin Silva, Juan Mastache, Keynner Rivas | MF Carlos Tenorio, Diego Alvarado, Johnny Ochoa, Christian Villa | FW Ernesto Capmany, Brayan Navarro
Information: A deadly mix of strong defense and offense. Astronautas is one of the most widely supported teams in the league, especially by those in southern Puerto Cano, however both their players and fans are disliked heavily by other teams in the league because of their constant showboating. They go head to head every once in a while against Atletico in the most exciting match of the league: the Puerto Cano derby.Atletico de Puerto Cano
Championships: 1 (Second Edition), Runner-Up: 2 (First and Fourth Edition)
Manager: Nico Andretti
Rivals: Astronautas (The Puerto Cano derby), Universitario
Formation: 3-4-3
Main Line-Up: GK Aarón Quesada | DF Daniel Tafalla, Juan Piñón, Ramón Pozo | MF Erick Villacrés, Rubén Moruga, Máximo Campos, Luis Miguel Aguayo | FW Luca Sáez, Diego Ferrant, Mario Rubio
Information: Hungry to no avail, Atletico has been one of, if not the strongest offensive team in the league. Their attacking trident, comprised of captain Luca Sáez, Mario Rubio and Diego Ferrant is feared by defenders and goalkeepers alike. They tend to clash constantly with their fierce rivals: Astronautas, where Diego's brother: Axel, plays as the goalkeeper.AD Bosqueverde
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 4th (Third Edition)
Manager: Jaime Magrina
Rivals: Capuchinos, Universitario, El Emilio
Formation: 4-3-3
Main Line-Up: GK Samuel Arias | DF Alexander Illescas, Anthony Arnal, Wilmer Lacasa, Kevinson Guerrido | MF Emilio Collazo, Manuel Dengra, Vicente Coronil | FW Lorenzo Farias, Daniel de Almeida, Tulio Asdrubal
Information: Bosqueverde has constantly shown potential throughout the years. However, they tend to fall short in their midfield and possession game. Recently, Bosqueverde has languished on the table, dropping from 2nd place to 9th place on the most recent edition of the Liga, after a series of embarrassing losses and ties.Halcones de Capuchinos
Championships: None, Runner-Up: 1 (Second Edition)
Manager: Julia Abellán
Rivals: Bosqueverde, El Emilio, Universitario
Formation: 4-4-2
Main Line-Up: GK Lucas Damasceno | DF Danilo Diaz, Luciano Rodríguez, Arthur Paiva, Isaac Pareja | MF Rodolfo Vila, Matthew Gisbert, Iván Pardo, Jonathan Reyes | FW Guillermo Noboa, Carlos Sanz
Information: The city of Capuchinos built a strong team that constantly delivers when it comes to goal-scoring and community service. The players and staff dedicate a good part of their money to improving parks and sports plazas in Capuchinos. Capuchinos has yet to win the championship, but each year they end up close to taking the trophy home. Their closest call was on the Second Edition of the Liga, where they ended up as runner-ups by merely one point against Atletico.SD Central
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 10th (Third Edition)
Manager: Álvaro de la Cruz
Rivals: Royal Club, San Miguel
Formation: 4-4-2
Main Line-Up: GK Bruno Amengual | DF Christian Manzanares, Mat Morillo, José Figueroa, Pedro Fernán | MF Martín Manzanedo, Gael Mancebo, Sergio París, Raúl Dávalos | FW Abel Fraga, Saúl Rasgado
Information: Most teams in the league think of Central as an easy opponent. To be fair, they are fairly easy to beat. But every once in a while, their players manage to stagnate or downright stop winning streaks. Last edition alone, they managed to be the only team that beat Universitarios twice. Keep an eye out for them; they might pull an ace or two out of their youth academy.Deportivo Asuzal
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 8th (First, Second, Third and Fifth Editions)
Manager: Víctor Barrueco
Rivals: San Miguel, El Emilio
Formation: 4-3-3
Main Line-Up: GK Édgar Andrade | DF Julian Indiano, Tommy Mina, Pedro Berrocal, Luis Lain | MF Pascual Carballar, Efrain González, Alonzo Cortés | FW Mateo Elvira, Bernabé Andrade, Marco Cotilla
Information: Deportivo Asuzal and ending up in eighth place go hand in hand. Fans of Deportivo keep waiting for their spell to be broken and break the eighth place barrier that has plagued the team since the beginning of the league. And under the direction of their new manager: Víctor Barrueco. Deportivo will strive to win, or at the very least get seventh place instead.El Emilio F.C
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 4th (Fourth Edition)
Manager: Rafa Águila
Rivals: Capuchinos, Bosqueverde, Deportivo Asuzal, Tiburones
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Main Line-Up: GK Lorenzo Molina | DF Diego Tenorio, Juan San Martín, Jerry Rojas, Ramón Alemán | MF Rico Alcabú, Gerardo Romero, Roberto Aparicio, Gustavo Reyes | FW Aarón Curbelo, Dylan Alcocer
Information: Some teams are made to win, some are made to lose. And some, like El Emilio F.C, are made to watch the world burn. They are despised across the nation for ruining the chances of underdog teams to win the league. And, they're the infamous team that made Capuchinos miss out on what could have been their first cup. It almost seems like they thrive from seeing their rivals suffer, and there's no signs of that changing any time soon.Royal Club
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 7th (Second and Fourth Edition)
Manager: Oscar Beldad
Rivals: SD Central
Formation: 4-4-2
Main Line-Up: GK Luciano Yepes | DF Ignazio Belasio, Sergio Halder, Silvio Duarte, Esteban Calvo | MF Natalio Iadanza, Alanzo Manna, Sandro Baresi, Édgar Galán | FW Hugo Correa, Dylan Seco
Information: Royal Club has a reputation of being posh and fancy. Ironically, they tend to give out the most disappointing performances in the league. That does not bother their fans, who usually come in suit and to Royal's games and celebrate the team's sporadic goals by clapping and nodding their heads. The team is hoping to receive players from more civilized countries when the transfer window opens. The nerve.San Miguel
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 10th (Fifth Edition)
Manager: Ramón Coronil
Rivals: SD Central, Deportivo Asuzal
Formation: 4-4-2
Main Line-Up: GK Julian Cherro | DF "Tajo" Ibañez, Fidel Páez, Xavier de la Cruz, Romeo Juárez | MF Roddy Molina, Alanzo Manna, Milagro Acuña, Damian Valdéz | FW Luis Fanucci, Aleix Peralta
Information: San Miguel usually stays at the bottom of the table throughout the league. The team is currently going through financial difficulties that make it hard for them to train their players properly. This however, was tackled by their new manager, Dr. Coronil, who hopes his investment into the team pays out nicely next season.Tiburones de Esparta
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 5th (First and Fourth Editions)
Manager: Albert Capitán
Rivals: El Emilio F.C, Tigres
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Main Line-Up: GK Juan Ascaso| DF Adrian Torrente, Saul Esposito, Mikel de Herrera, Renato Baggio | MF Ricky Bolívar, Marti Alonso, Cayetano Simone, Israel Sacristán, Aitor Zapata | FW Ben Montilla
Information: Just like real life sharks, Tiburones preys on their opponents and waits for the right moment to strike. Their lineup punishes any team that leaves holes and empty spaces in their defense. Curiously, defense is Tiburones' biggest weakness; so it's easy to use their offensive efforts against them. Tiburones went down in history by scoring 9 goals against Tigres in what is considered the worst thrashing in the history of the Liga, (so far).Tigres de Candelabros
Championships: None, Highest Placement: 5th (Second Edition)
Manager: Cech Ferrer
Rivals: Tiburones
Formation: 4-3-3
Main Line-Up: GK Gerard Artigas | DF Jesus Monedero, Santiago Russo, Hector Teixidó, Dario Corredor | MF Omar Pisano, Gael Laguna, Ian Montes | FW David Pastor, Alvaro Torres, Mati Soldado
Information: If one could descrive the Tigres' perfomance in the league with one word, it would be: inconsistent. Being a Tigres supporter is like playing Russian Roulette. You could either defeat Universitario 5-1, or you could receive 4 goals in the first half of a game against Tiburones. Who knows? One thing is for sure: you'll never be bored watching Tigres go up and down the table throughout the league.Universitario de Baruta
Championships: 3 (First, Third and Fifth Edition), Runner-Up: None
Manager: Jacobo Casaus
Rivals: Astronautas, Atletico, Capuchinos, Bosqueverde
Formation: 3-5-2
Main Line-Up: GK Iker Pomar | DF Ruben Ávila, Alvaro Torres, Eddy Vera | MF Jeremy Costa, Franco Valerio, Dante Prats-Moya, Jan Sahagún, Franco Pugliesi | FW Raul Sagese, Pablo Cruz
Information: The stars of the Liga. All teams fear the day where they have to face-off against Universitario. A well-rounded team; Universitario possesses a squad filled with wonderkids such as Iker Pomar, assist-leader Dante Prats-Moya and the league's leader in goals: Pablo Cruz. Universitario are unstoppable, as long as they don't get confident. We've seen how badly that went for them... twice.
