Arkell Jude-Boyd is going straight from a midweek away day at Tranmere Rovers to a Piton Boyz double-header. Shrewsbury Town have confirmed the wing-back's call-up to Saint Lucia's squad for this week's Concacaf Nations League matches against Barbados and Bermuda, both at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground — and it's new head coach Rajesh Latchoo's first squad since replacing Francis Lastic days before the campaign opener.
Latchoo's First Squad
Jude-Boyd is one of 25 players named in Latchoo's opening squad, first reported by St. Lucia Times this week. The list still leans heavily on Saint Lucia's domestic league, but it includes a handful of overseas-based players too, Jude-Boyd among them.
Latchoo has already been explicit about what he wants from it. "The mission in the short term is 18 points," he said after naming the squad. "That is the only way we could guarantee" top spot in the group, ahead of Barbados, Bermuda and Guadeloupe.
Who Is Arkell Jude-Boyd
Jude-Boyd, 23, came up through Queens Park Rangers' academy in England, with loan spells at Dagenham & Redbridge and Torquay United before two seasons at Cheltenham Town. He joined Shrewsbury on a free transfer this summer, and Town have described him as comfortable at right-back, wing-back or in midfield — the same versatility Offside758 noted when he first arrived.
He has already represented Saint Lucia at senior level, including a goal on his debut against Curaçao in the 2024/25 Nations League. His most recent club action came in Shrewsbury's EFL Trophy defeat at Tranmere Rovers, where he played 68 minutes before linking up with the Saint Lucia squad.
The Fixtures
Saint Lucia are hosting the whole Group B window at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground — Barbados first, Bermuda three days later — with Guadeloupe and Bermuda also meeting there the same day as the Barbados game. It's effectively a four-team hosting hub for this window, all of Group B passing through the same ground within days of each other.
It's a big week for Jude-Boyd's club, too. He's the second Shrewsbury player away on international duty this window, after teammate Kian McMahon-Brown was picked by the Republic of Ireland Under-21s.