One of the first words Inter Miami CF head coach Phil Neville turned to during his postgame press conference in what had technically become early Sunday morning was “frustration.”
After a weather delay at DRV PNK Stadium lasted nearly two hours, his team suffered a 3-1 defeat against Houston Dynamo FC. It was the Western Conference side’s first road victory since September 2020, snapping a 26-game streak.
The point of contention, in Neville’s eyes, boils down to Inter Miami not doing enough with the 22-11 shots advantage they generated. That left the window open for three second-half goals from the Dynamo, a Darwin Quintero header off a deflected cross and a Fafa Picault brace, which included a penalty kick following a handling error from goalkeeper Nick Marsman.
“We’re definitely not ruthless enough and it’s putting a lot of pressure in terms of they’re only creating two or three chances and we’re getting punished,” Neville said. “We’re going through that period where we’re getting punished for every little mistake we’re doing. But we’ve got to be more ruthless in attack. We’ve invested a lot in our attack, we’ve got quality players in attack and for me, the composure in the final third, the chances that we’ve created, the shots that we had on goal [should be enough].”
The result puts Inter Miami bottom of the overall league table, their one point from five games only trailed by – historically speaking – when their expansion year in 2020 began with five consecutive losses before the club's first-ever victory.
So far, the Herons have a league-low minus-10 goal differential and have just one goal from open play, a Leonardo Campana strike in their 5-1 loss at Austin FC. Their other two goals have come from the penalty spot via Gonzalo Higuain, against Houston and in the 3-1 loss at FC Cincinnati before the March international break.
Amid those struggles, Neville reinforced the need for key players to produce in big moments.
“The longer it goes, the more anxiety probably that will come,” Neville said. “They just need to relax and say we’ve brought you to this football club because you’ve got talent. We’ve got players on that pitch that have been at this club longer that should be helping them, that aren’t helping them, that need to lead the way as well.
“It’s a collective thing now. We’re all suffering, we’re all disappointed, we’re all working really hard. The only way to come out of this is by sticking together and believing in what we’re doing.”
Inter Miami entered the season with near-wholesale roster turnover, moving on from 17 players this offseason, including two Designated Players in Blaise Matuidi (bought out) and Rodolfo Pizarro (on loan at Liga MX’s Monterrey). Virtually the entire backline is new, most notably, as sporting director Chris Henderson imparts massive squad changes.
The road forward isn’t easy either, at least on paper. Inter Miami will close out April with two games against 2021 Supporters’ Shield winners New England Revolution and one apiece vs. big-name clubs in Seattle Sounders FC and Atlanta United.
First on the horizon is a visit from the Revs next Saturday on national TV (3 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes).
“The win feels close and yet so far away,” Neville said. “That’s how it feels at this moment in time.”
Most of all, Neville hopes to turn things around for the fans.
“They deserve more and they deserve better,” Neville said. “We have to deliver that to them, that’s non-negotiable.”
