Coach Diego Vásquez lead the team for his 8th consecutive tournament. Due to the incidents occurred on last season's final match where four people lost their lives, the Discipline Commission decided to ban the Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino for nine games. This implied the entire home schedule for the Apertura regular season.[1] The penalty was later reduced to five games after an appeal.[2] On 1 June, Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho announced in a video through his social media that he would be visiting Honduras in July to play an exhibition match between the contenders of the Honduran Superclásico.[3] It was announced later however, that the match was changed to be played against Real C.D. España instead.[4] Decision taken to avoid a conflict between the two Barra bravas which are known for their fierce and often dangerous rivalry. On 30 July, Ronaldinho played in front of thousands at Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino wearing both teams' jerseys on each half.[5] He generated the two assists that gave a historic 0–2 win to Real España.[6] The game served also as a farewell to Amado Guevara, a club's longtime prominent figure.[7] On 2 August, Motagua defeated C.D. Marathón 2–1 at Estadio Francisco Morazán to obtain the 2017 Honduran Supercup. On 31 December, Uruguayan newspaper Ovación selected the best clubs, the best players and the best coaches in the American leagues for 2017. For Honduras, Motagua, Román Castillo and Diego Vásquez were all chosen[8]
Motagua started the Apertura tournament playing outside Tegucigalpa due to the suspension of their stadium because of the incidents occurred last season. On 9 September, Estadio Emilio Williams Agasse, a newly opened venue in Choluteca, hosted a league match for the first time in the 1–1 against Olimpia, in another edition of the Superclásico.[9] On 23 November, the club finished in second position and advanced directly to the semifinals. Once in the semifinals, the club faced city neighbors Olimpia, being the 11th time in league history that these two meet at this stage. With a 3–3 aggregate score, Motagua advanced thanks to their better regular season record over Olimpia. The final series were played against Real España and the club failed in obtaining their third straight league title.
In the Clausura tournament, Motagua started with an away victory against Lobos UPNFM at Estadio Emilio Williams Agasse. Just like in the Apertura, Motagua had to play their first couple of games outside their ground; this time because of the events taking place at Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino for the new presidential term. On 28 March, the Argentinian midfielder Santiago Vergara died from leukemia at the age of 26.[10] After completing the 18 regular season rounds, the team finished 2nd and qualified directly to the semifinals for their 8th consecutive time and their 26th overall. In the semifinals, the team faced city neighbors Olimpia for another Honduran Superclásico meeting. Motagua, once again, managed to eliminate their bitter rivals[11] and advanced to their 4th consecutive final for the first time in their league history. On 19 May, after a 1–1 aggregate score against C.D. Marathón, the championship had to be decided in penalty shoot-outs. Marcelo Pereira and Reinieri Mayorquín missed their chances and the club lost the title.[12] With two finals reached in the 2017–18 season, Motagua qualified to the 2018 CONCACAF League.
Kits
The 2017–18 home, away and third kits were published on 22 July.[13]
Note: Superstar Ronaldinho played in Honduras for the first time in a match so-called 'Partido por La Paz' (Game for peace). Midfielder Amado Guevara, who retired in 2015 also took part.
Note: This was F.C. Motagua's first and only practicing match before the start of the Clausura tournament. These two teams haven't face since 6 May 2001 (0–0) for the 2000–01 season.
Note: Midfielder Walter Martínez made his debut scoring the only goal for F.C. Motagua this afternoon. Román Castillo returned after his injury last season. This marks the first game for Motagua outside Tegucigalpa due to the 5-game suspension of their stadium because of the incidents last season.
Note: The game was rescheduled from 20 August due to a referees' strike. F.C. Motagua defeated C.D. Marathón exactly one month after their win at the 2017 Honduran Supercup. With the win, Motagua reached the top of the standings for the first time since week 6 in the Apertura 2016.
Note: With the win, F.C. Motagua reached 21 unbeaten league games, matching up with the third longest streak obtained between 1998 and 1999 (12–9–0). This game also represents the last match playing outside Tegucigalpa after complying with the punishment imposed by the league.
Note: Jorge Lozano, a former F.C. Motagua player, made his debut as a coach in the league with Platense F.C. as interim. Motagua burned out a 3-goal advantage. It was the first defeat since 19 February 2017, losing an unbeaten streak of 21 games, the club's third longest.
Note: F.C. Motagua returned to action after a 2-week break due to the World Cup qualifying matches. Defender Omar Elvir scored for and against his club. Youngster Denil Maldonado appeared for the first time this season substituting injured Marcelo Pereira. With the win, Motagua improved to second position.
Note: Left winger Omar Elvir reached 200 league appearances with F.C. Motagua. Forward Eddie Hernández suffered a cheekbone fracture and is expected to be out of action for one month. This marked the first time in league history that Motagua defeated C.D. Marathón in four consecutive games.
Note: With the scoreless tie, the 0–0 (along with 1–1) became the most repeated result in the Honduran Superclásico with 43 times. Additionally, this was the fifth time in a row these two finished leveled, establishing a new record. The game was stained with controversy as the assistant referee disallowed a goal for Motagua due to a questionable foul in the area.
Note: Carlos Discua scored his first goal of the season, and his first one since 28 May 2017 reaching a total of 50 goals with F.C. Motagua. With the defeat, the club lost the opportunity to stay at the top of the standings.
Note: With the win, F.C. Motagua improved to second position. They also finished unbeaten at home in the regular season with 5 wins and 4 draws. Midfielder Walter Martínez scored his first double for the club. They also scored 5+ goals again since November 2015 (7–1 v Real C.D. España).
Note: With the win, F.C. Motagua finished second place in the regular season for their 20th time. They also clinched direct qualification to the semifinals. This game was played three days prior the 2017 elections.
Note: F.C. Motagua and Club Deportivo Olimpia will face in this stage for their 11th time, having Motagua advanced in six from the previous ten. The match was scheduled to be played on 14 December, however, it was suspended due to the violent incidents occurred in the other semifinal between Real C.D. España and C.D. Marathón. The National Police Department informed that there was a lack of security guarantees. The game was finally played on 20 December on closed doors, an unprecedented fact in this derby. The club played after 27 days of inactivity due to the political crisis that sequel from the 2017 presidential elections.
Note: With a 3–3 aggregated score, F.C. Motagua advanced to their third straight final thanks to their better regular season record. Motagua recovered from a 0–3 disadvantage in aggregate to score three unanswered goals in the last 45 minutes of play.
Note: F.C. Motagua and Real C.D. España will play their 7th final in history, having won three each in the previous six. Real España requested to play at Estadio Francisco Morazán but this stadium was suspended due to the riots occurred in the semifinals. Darixon Vuelto scored twice to give Real España a two goals advantage in the first leg.
Note: This was the first time in league history that a tournament concluded one day before New Year's Eve. With a 3–2 aggregate score, Real C.D. España defeated F.C. Motagua. Forward Román Castillo scored twice to finish as the tournament's top goalscorer with 13 goals.
Note: F.C. Motagua played their first Clausura game after just three weeks of rest from the previous tournament. It was their second official game at Estadio Emilio Williams Agasse in history. After 13 months of inactivity due to a long injury, goalkeeper Harold Fonseca reappeared in the initial lineup. Midfielder Germán Mayenfisch and forward Javier Estupiñán made their official debut with the club; this last one scoring a goal.
Note: With the second straight win, the club stays at the top of the standings. F.C. Motagua was favored with an own goal again since 11 March 2015, curiously also against C.D. Real Sociedad. Also, with this result, Motagua leveled the all-time series against Real Sociedad with a 9–7–9 balance.
Note: These two teams faced again after 28 days of their last encounter at the Apertura finals. F.C. Motagua achieved their second straight clean sheet. Diego Vásquez coached his 200th game with the club, this number includes all competitions.
Note: Defender Marcelo Pereira scored his first goal since April 2017. In four games, F.C. Motagua has only received one goal and this represented their third straight clean sheet.
Note: The score 1–1 became the most repeated result (44) in the history of the Honduran Superclásico. Forward Javier Estupiñán scored the equalizer for F.C. Motagua against his previous club. The Colombian also became the seventh player to score for both clubs in the history of this derby.
Note: In a rainy night, F.C. Motagua was unable to obtain a victory at Estadio Excélsior, this was the fourth consecutive win-less visit at this venue. Right winger Wilmer Crisanto missed a penalty kick in the second half. Defender Juan Montes scored his first goal of the season.
Note: After his double, Román Castillo reached 70 goals playing for F.C. Motagua, he converted a penalty kick in a Panenka style. This was the club's first home game playing on a Sunday afternoon this year, which is their most traditional schedule.
Note: With the win, F.C. Motagua raised to the top of the standings. Midfielder César Romero reappeared in the lineups since February 2017. Midfielder Héctor Castellanos arrived to his 100th appearance with the team. This also marked the second all-time victory at this venue, and the first one since September 2015.
Note: F.C. Motagua obtained a victory in their last domestic game before their participation at the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. In this game, midfielder Jack Baptiste made his professional debut with the club highlighting his first assistance. The team also accomplished their 6th match in the tournament with a clean sheet.
Note: F.C. Motagua lost their first game in the Clausura tournament. Additionally, it was their first loss as home club since November 2016, a long-lasting record of 29 unbeaten games.
Note: Despite the defeat, F.C. Motagua stayed one more week at the top of the standings. Defender Juan Montes scored his second own goal against his club and his first one since August 2015.
Note: The match started with a tribute to former player Santiago Vergara who passed away a few hours before. Defender Wilmer Crisanto played as goalkeeper the last 10 minutes of the game as Harold Fonseca saw a straight red card. This was the first lost to Platense F.C. at home since August 2006. Additionally, F.C. Motagua lost their third straight home game.
Note: This defeat represented F.C. Motagua's third straight loss, an adverse streak which happened for the first time since October 2011, coincidentally also against Club Deportivo Olimpia, C.D. Marathón and Platense F.C. Forward Román Castillo scored his 74th goal with the team, and became the all-time top goalscorer according to the club.
Note: Due to the crowd troubles aroused in the Honduran Superclásico on 25 March, F.C. Motagua was banned from their stadium for one game, making this the ninth game this season they have to play outside their ground. The match was moved to Comayagua.
Note: With the win, F.C. Motagua finished the regular season in second position and advanced directly to the semifinals. Wilmer Crisanto scored the winning goal, which marked the goal number 20,000 in the history of the league.
Note: Goalkeeper Jonathan Rougier won his seventh clean sheet of the tournament. It was the 44th scoreless game in the history of the Honduran Superclásico, the most repeated result along with 1–1.
Note: With a 1–1 aggregate score and thanks to their better position in the regular season standings, F.C. Motagua managed to advanced to their 4th consecutive final. The result 1–1 became the most common result (45 times) in the Honduran Superclásico history. With this result, the team also secured a spot for international competition in 2018–19.
Note: F.C. Motagua will face C.D. Marathón in a final series for their 4th time in league's history, and their first one since 2007. In the previous three, Motagua won one and lost two.
Note: After a 1–1 aggregate, the championship was decided with penalty shoot-outs where F.C. Motagua lost 4–5. With the loss, the club qualified to the 2018 CONCACAF League. Manager Diego Vásquez reached 200 consecutive games leading the team, a franchise and league record.
Note: This was F.C. Motagua's first ever encounter against Club Tijuana and the fourth overall series against a Mexican club in official contention. The game was moved to the United States due to the 2017–2018 Honduran protests. During the second half, the game was suspended for 50 minutes due to an electric storm.
Note: The goal scored by Walter Martínez marked the first ever F.C. Motagua's goal and point against a Mexican club playing away. Additionally, it was the first away point by a Honduran team against a Mexican club since 2008.
By round
Round
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Ground
H
A
H
A
H
H
H
A
H
A
H
A
H
A
A
A
H
A
A
H
A
H
A
A
H
A
H
H
A
H
A
H
H
A
H
A
Result
D
D
W
W
D
D
W
L
D
W
W
W
W
D
L
L
W
W
W
W
D
W
D
D
W
W
W
W
D
L
W
L
L
L
W
W
Position
4
7
1
3
2
2
2
2
3
3
2
1
1
1
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
Source: [citation needed] A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
