分类： sports

Fresh off a historic home victory that earned them three points in the first half of the September-October FIFA international break, Saint Lucia’s senior men’s national football team has traveled to Barbados with one clear goal: secure consecutive wins against Guadeloupe in their upcoming two matches. The first clash between the two sides is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at the Wildey Technical Centre, with a return fixture kicking off at the same time the following Monday.

Led by newly appointed head coach Rajesh Latchoo, the Piton Boyz notched their largest ever home win in Concacaf Nations League history earlier this week, routing Bermuda 5-2 on Monday night at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. The standout performance of the match came from striker Kegan Caull, who netted a hat-trick to power his side’s victory, while 23-year-old defender Arkell Jude-Boyd made a long-awaited home senior debut for the squad.

Though Jude-Boyd, currently plying his trade with English side Shrewsbury Town, has seven senior caps to his name, Monday’s match marked his first time appearing for the national side on home turf. The young defender shared that the experience was more than worth the years of waiting, even without his family in attendance to cheer him on.

“I’ve visited this stadium so many times before, but due to previous complications, I never got the chance to step onto the pitch for a competitive match,” Jude-Boyd said. “Just being out there representing my country at home was an absolutely amazing feeling. Unfortunately, my family couldn’t make the trip to be in the stands today, but even without them here, it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”

Despite the thrilling five-goal result, the team has shown clear defensive vulnerabilities through their first two matches of the qualifying window, conceding four goals total. Latchoo has repeatedly emphasized that the squad needs to tighten its organization at the back to improve results. While key defender Chris Forino-Joseph of Bolton Wanderers is expected to rejoin the squad for the November international break, the Piton Boyz will have to face the in-form Gwada Boyz (Guadeloupe’s national nickname) without his presence this round.

For Latchoo, the end goal remains clear: pick up all six available points from the two upcoming Guadeloupe matches to push the team toward a top position in the group. “Our target is to take all the remaining points on offer, to get to 12, and once we hit 15 points, we’ll control our own destiny for qualification,” the coach explained. “But we can’t do this alone. We need the Saint Lucian public to get fully behind the team 100 percent. If the fans give us their full support, the players will always give 100 percent effort in return.”

The squad has received a timely attacking boost ahead of the two Barbados-based matches, with in-form Colorado Rapids forward Donavan “Gusto” Phillip linking up with the team following his strong form in Major League Soccer. The 21-year-old has found the back of the net in his last two consecutive MLS appearances, giving Latchoo a dynamic new option to deploy up front against Guadeloupe.

The head coach noted that the squad will continue leaning into its attacking strengths while working to fix its defensive lapses. “We know where we need to improve, and we’re working every day to close the gap on our weaknesses,” Latchoo said. “In previous matches, we’ve had periods where we switched off and gave opponents too much space to work with. Now, the focus is on managing that concentration over 90 minutes, tightening our play both in possession and when we’re without the ball.”

Phillip joins a surprisingly young core for Saint Lucia, alongside the likes of Jude-Boyd, 22-year-old Caull, 22-year-old Shaquan Nelson, and 18-year-old Shevon Byron. Latchoo also addressed Caull’s current situation, noting that the in-form striker is out of contract at the club level, and the coaching staff has had to carefully manage his minutes to help him rebuild match fitness after an extended break from competitive action.

“Going into the camp, we knew Kegan was a little rusty because he hadn’t played a full competitive match in a while,” Latchoo explained. “So we structured his training and playing time carefully, building him up to peak at the right time as he works his way back to his best form.”

As of September 30, the current Concacaf rankings reflect the gap between the two sides: Guadeloupe sits 15th out of 41 member territories, while Saint Lucia ranks 28th. In Group B, Bermuda holds 24th place and hosts Barbados is 30th. Heading into the second week of the international window, Guadeloupe and Barbados share the top spot in Group B with four points apiece, after each earned one win and one draw in matches hosted by Saint Lucia during the first half of the break.

Women’s football in the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia is entering a new era of growth, with targeted investments and programs advancing the sport both on the pitch and in leadership roles off the field. The Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) has rolled out a coordinated series of initiatives designed to raise the profile of women’s football and remove barriers to entry for young girls seeking to participate in the sport.

The first major public event of this push was a community-focused girls’ football festival held last weekend in Babonneau, organized in partnership between the SLFA and the Babonneau Football League. The event brought together more than 30 primary school students from six local campuses, giving young aspiring players the chance to learn directly from seasoned international female football stars. Participating schools included La Guerre, Boguis, Des Barras Combined, Babonneau, Balata, and Fond Assau, with additional support from the country’s Ministry of Education and the local Member of Parliament’s office.

Led by a team of local sports officials, education representatives, and professional players, the festival combined inspirational talks with hands-on skills training. Krysan St Louis, a veteran international player who earned her university degree through a sports scholarship, shared insights about the life-changing opportunities football can create for girls and women. Joining her was Kayla Polius, Saint Lucia’s current Junior Female Footballer of the Year, who encouraged the young participants to stay dedicated to their goals: “Stay humble, work hard, and believe that one day you can represent your country.”

After the talks, the girls took to the pitch for structured drills covering core football fundamentals, from dribbling, passing, and shooting to ball control and overall coordination. The day concluded with small-sided exhibition matches that let the young players showcase the new skills they had picked up during the session.

SLFA leaders including technical director Miran Louis and association president Lyndon Cooper laid out the long-term vision for the Babonneau program: to build sustained participation among local girls, create structured, age-appropriate player development pathways, and connect young talent to formal organized competition. The ultimate near-term goal for the community is to launch a competitive youth girls’ team that can compete in SLFA’s official national Girls and Women’s Competitions. A second phase of the program will retain at least 25 interested girls for ongoing training, ensuring the energy and momentum generated at the festival translates into lasting opportunities rather than a one-off event.

Beyond youth player development, the SLFA is also working to grow women’s representation in football leadership. Recently, the organization held a capacity-building workshop with the Vieux Fort North Football League at the Grace community centre, focused on integrating women into football administration and equipping them for decision-making roles. The session brought together SLFA representatives, local league leaders, and female stakeholders to discuss barriers, shared aspirations, and priorities for growing the women’s game, ensuring women’s voices remain central to the league’s strategic goals. This workshop followed a July grassroots girls’ development program in the region, laying groundwork for ongoing community programming as part of SLFA’s broader Women’s Development Programme.

Looking ahead, the SLFA will take another major step next month with a national consultation on a new national Women’s Football Strategic Plan, held in collaboration with global governing body FIFA. Scheduled for Saturday, October 10 at Castries’ Bel Jou Hotel in La Pansee, the consultation will bring a FIFA delegate together with representatives from all 19 of SLFA’s member leagues. Consultants leading the strategic planning process will present the draft plan, walk stakeholders through the document’s core strategic priorities, explain the reasoning behind key decisions, and open discussion about proposed implementation strategies for the multi-year plan.