Ahead of the highly anticipated 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League, the Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Inc. has formally named seasoned football tactician Rajesh Latchoo as the new head coach of the country’s senior men’s national team. The appointment caps a transition period for the side known colloquially as the Piton Boyz, as Latchoo steps into the role vacated by fellow Trinidad and Tobago native Stern John, who guided the squad through 25 competitive matches between 2022 and early 2026.
Hailing from Princes Town, Trinidad and Tobago, Latchoo brings a well-rounded resume shaped by decades of work across club management, youth development, and regional coaching education. His first senior leadership opportunity arrived at just 27 years old, when he took the reins of Trinidadian club side Joe Public FC. In his early tenure with the team, he delivered immediate success, leading the club to claim the 2011 Digicel Pro Bowl championship.
Over the course of his career, Latchoo has held a diverse array of roles across Caribbean football. Beyond his time at Joe Public, he has managed top-tier Trinidadian club Morvant Caledonia United, served as an assistant coach for Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women’s national team, and overseen multiple youth national squads. Off the match pitch, he has built a reputation as a leading voice for coaching development in the region: he has worked as a certified coaching instructor for Concacaf, and previously held dual leadership roles with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association as Head of Coach Education and Youth Football Director.
Latchoo’s most high-profile prior international appointment was a five-year tenure as head coach of the Commonwealth of Dominica’s men’s national team, a post he held from 2017 to 2022. Across 19 official competitive matches during that spell, including Concacaf Nations League fixtures and FIFA World Cup qualification games, he recorded five wins, four draws, and 10 losses. At the club level, he also compiled a 21-match record in charge of Morvant Caledonia United in the TT Pro League alongside his title-winning run at Joe Public FC.
Notably, Latchoo’s appointment continues a long-running trend for the SLFA, which has now hired three consecutive Trinidad and Tobago-born head coaches for the senior men’s side. He follows Jamaal Shabazz, who held the post from 2019 to 2021, and outgoing coach John, who has since moved on to take the top job with Grenada’s national side.
For Latchoo, the challenge starts immediately: the Piton Boyz are scheduled to kick off their 2026-27 Nations League campaign in League B, Group B this coming weekend, with two home matches set to take place at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. The side will face Barbados this Friday, before taking on Bermuda three days later at the same venue, and will travel to Barbados for a return fixture the following weekend.
With Latchoo’s deep background in coaching education and youth development, paired with the SLFA’s recent hire of a new technical director, football observers across the Caribbean are keen to see how the new coach will shape the long-term trajectory of Saint Lucian football. Beyond the immediate task of competing in the Nations League, his work will likely impact the growth of the country’s domestic league, the development of junior national teams, and the ongoing evolution of the senior men’s program.