Neville, Rooney meet as opposing managers for 1st time
Inter Miami coach Phil Neville said it will be nice to hear an English accent coming from the opposite dugout Sunday afternoon and he had nothing but good things to say about his former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, the recently hired D.C. United coach, but once the whistle blows at Audi Field, Neville hopes his team is ruthless.
Miami, coming off a dramatic 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew, is desperate to beat last-place D.C. and improve its chances to make the playoffs. With four games remaining, the men in pink are in eighth place in the East, two points short of seventh-place Columbus, which holds the final playoff spot.
After the game against Washington (5 p.m., My 33), Inter Miami plays on the road against 13th-place Toronto and finishes at home against two of the strongest teams in the
East — Orlando City and
Montreal.
“The games are coming thick and fast and every game feels like a cup final,” said Neville. “This is another must-win game. We will see all our challengers play the day before and know exactly what we need to do. There are no easy games. D.C. is in a state of transition, new manager, they will not want to lose at home. The pressure will be on us, not them.”
Miami will have its two most dangerous scoring threats fully fit. Gonzalo Higuain, in peak form and in a great mood after an early-season funk, leads the team with 12 goals and scored nine in the past 12 games. Leo Campana, who scored eight goals before missing nearly six weeks with a thigh injury, got 22 minutes off the bench against the Crew.
Neville plans to play Campana more than 22 minutes on Sunday but is not sure whether the Ecuadorean forward will start or come off the bench.
What he does know is that the once-maligned Higuain has been carrying the team in recent weeks.
“Gonzalo’s playing his best-ever football at Inter Miami and not just his football but his enjoyment of being an Inter Miami player, being part of something really special with a group of players that do think he is a legend, do give him the upmost respect, do go to him for advice, look to him for leadership and I think that’s played a massive part in his turnaround,” Neville said.
“He’s got a group singing and playing to his tune because they look up to him so much. What we need from him over the next four games is for him to lead the team like he did against Columbus.”
Higuain said he thrives under pressure and is motivated for the weeks ahead.
“For 19 years I have played with pressure, all the games I have played in my life, in Europe, the national team, it weighs on you, gets difficult, but it’s a nice responsibility,” he said. “Ale [Pozuelo], too. He has played in Spain, Europe. He’s a player of top quality. We are trying to lead the others through our experience.”
D.C. is coming off a 3-0 loss against Kansas City after going three games unbeaten.
Taxi Fountas (concussion) trained the past few days and expected to be available for United on Sunday and could partner with Christian Benteke for the first time.
Rooney downplayed the matchup against Neville.
“Phil is a former teammate, he’s doing a good job in Miami, but it’s about the team,” Rooney said. “Of course, there will be some talk of me vs. Phil, but as long as we get the win it doesn’t really matter.”
Neville said Rooney has what it takes to turn D.C. around.
“He’s got star quality in whatever he does and he’s hungry,” Neville said. “The impressive thing with his management is he’s put the hard yards in. He’s not just shortcutted himself to management. He’s not taken the easy route. What he did at Derby was really tough. And that gave him incredible learning experiences that now he’s putting into good stead at D.C., which has had a difficult season.
“He’ll have time to build his own roster and he has experience in this league, so he knows what it takes.”
Neville said young D.C. players should be especially pleased to have Rooney as their coach.
“I saw the other day he played a 15-year-old, and people may think, ‘Oh, that’s young’ but remember Wayne was a 15- or 16-year-old when he broke in. So, for him, that’s normal. If I was a young kid at D.C., I’d be incredibly excited to see a manager that gives opportunities to players like that.”
Michelle Kaufman: 305-376-3438, @kaufsports