What Happened
The Liga10 Sub-18 season is back after nearly 10 months without action, opening Friday night with a doubleheader at Yappy Park in Paseo del Norte. The new campaign brings together many of Panama’s top school football programs, along with several players who already have experience in national youth teams.
The defending standard remains high after the Fighting Owls of Academia Interamericana won both Liga10 categories last year, including a dramatic Sub-18 final over the Spartans of Colegio La Salle in a penalty shootout. Even with some departures through graduation, the AIP team still features a strong core in goal, defense, midfield and attack.
The Teams to Watch
AIP will rely on a key battle between Miguel Ponce and Daniel Giannotti for the goalkeeper spot, while Santiago Typaldos and Jaime Sabal return in defense. In midfield, Lorenzo Romagosa, Bolívar Vallarino, Julián Guardia, Maximos Christou and national team player Alfredo Maduro headline a group that should keep the team among the frontrunners.
Up front, Remo Watson is back after leading the scoring charge, joined by Ignacio Guardiola and Thiago Chalmers, another national team player who helped power the school’s Sub-16 title five months ago.
Several programs are also positioned to challenge. Spartans of La Salle remain a major threat, while Lions of Colegio Real arrive with a recent history of success after winning in 2022 and 2024. The Dolphins of the International School of Panama finished third in 2025, and the Brader Raiders enter with recent momentum after capturing the Sub-16 crown in 2024.
Brader Raiders and Other Rising Contenders
The Brader Raiders may be the most intriguing story heading into the season. Nineteen of their 22 Sub-16 champions from 2024 are now part of the Sub-18 squad, giving the school a rare level of continuity in youth football.
That group, born in 2008 and 2009, already owns a strong track record. In addition to the Sub-16 title, the same generation won the Sub-14 championship in 2022, making Brader one of the most closely watched teams in the competition.
Other programs are also looking to break the usual order. Thomas Jefferson School has built its project around effort and sports scholarships, while newly promoted Instituto Enrico Fermi made an immediate statement in 2025 by beating AIP to win the Sub-18 Super Cup.
National Team Impact and Season Schedule
The league is also intertwined with Panama’s youth national teams. Five players from Liga10 have been called up by Felipe Baloy for the South American Games: Alberto Adams, Ian Centella, Lucas Norte, Thiago Chalmers and Alfredo Maduro. Goalkeeper Sebastián Sotelo could also be part of the FIFA U-17 World Cup plans.
Those call-ups add extra importance to a season already shaped by talent turnover, since players involved with national duty may miss key school matches. Even so, the competition is set to provide a strong barometer for Panama’s next generation of footballers.
The group stage runs from April 10 through May 23, followed by quarterfinals on May 30, semifinals on June 6 and the grand final on June 14. Friday’s opening matches are Thomas Jefferson School vs. Colegio Real at 7:00 p.m. and Colegio Javier vs. Instituto Enrico Fermi at 8:30 p.m. Saturday’s schedule includes International School of Panama vs. Panamerican School, Colegio Brader vs. Metropolitan School, Academia Interamericana vs. El Colegio de Panamá and Instituto Atenea vs. Instituto Panamericano.