Neville: ‘It’s now or never for this team to deliver’
Last-place Inter Miami faces first-place New England in an MLS game Wednesday. Miami playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro, called to Mexico’s Gold Cup team, may miss the game.
Inter Miami, a snakebit team trying to climb out of the Major League Soccer cellar, faces its toughest challenge of the season Wednesday night with a home game against the Eastern Conference leader New England Revolution.
It is the first of five games in a row against the top-five teams in the conference.
New England boasts an 8-3-3 record and 27 points. Miami is in last place at 2-7-2 and eight points.
The Revolution is tied for second in
the league with 23 goals, while Inter Miami ranks last with nine goals, just one scored during the five-game losing skid.
“We have to start climbing the mountain in front of us,” Miami coach Phil Neville said. “There is no margin for error. No excuses. It’s now or never for this team. We’ve got to put our foot on the gas.
“There’s no waiting around. We’re not in early season mode where you can recover. A few more defeats and we’ll get to the point where we can’t recover, where the playoffs will be out of sight. We’ve got to stay in touching distance and chip away at the teams in front of us.”
With 23 games left in the regular season, Neville said it is time for the team to live up to its lofty expectations.
“Since this club started there’s been a lot of expectations and a lot of disappointments,” Neville said. “It’s time for us to start delivering, as a manager, as players. We can have the best Instagram accounts, the best clothing, the best location, but ultimately what goes on on the field is the most important thing. Football is a results business, and the position we’re in now is unacceptable.”
Four of the next five games are at home, and Neville wants to “put a smile on the faces” of the loyal supporters, some of whom flew to New York last weekend for the Red Bulls game and were drenched as they sang during hours of thunderstorms before the game was postponed.
Inter Miami has been off for 18 days, so players will be well-rested, but maybe a bit rusty. Neville and co-captain Victor Ulloa said the players have bonded during the gamefree break.
As of Tuesday afternoon, it was “50-50” whether playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro would be available for Wednesday’s game, as he was a lastminute addition to Mexico’s Gold Cup team and his travel plans were still in flux, the coach said.
Pizarro was called up by Mexico as a replacement for injured Chucky Lozano. Mexico plays in a Gold Cup quarterfinal Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona.
Neville said Pizarro, who has not started the past six games, seemed motivated by the demotion and by the initial snub from the Mexican team and is in his best shape of the season.
“You get crossroads in your career where you say, ‘Where am I going to go from this? Am I going to accept this or fight like mad to get out of it?’ What I’ve seen from Rodolfo is he’s fought like mad,” Neville said. “He’s integrated himself more into the group. He’s smiling. He’s lost weight and is in better shape. He’s lean. He now looks like a real top player we signed.”
Neville said if Pizarro can’t play against New England, it will be a massive loss.
“I’m really disappointed because he is in brilliant shape, the best shape he’s been in since he came to the club, both mentally and physically,” Neville said.
“He’s ready to play well, to score, I’m convinced of that. Over the past two weeks, he has been our best player in training by a long way. I felt for the first time since I came here the happiness and smile and sparkle in his eyes, so Mexico will benefit from that.”
Neville then joked: “I hope the Mexican federation’s faxes and emails are all broken so he can stay for our game, but I’m not confident.”
Wednesday’s game
(7:30 p.m., My33, UniMas, CW34) will be special for Neville because Revolution coach Bruce Arena is a longtime friend.
“We’re going into a game against a coach I’ve got a real soft spot for, which hopefully can be put to one side for 90 minutes,” Neville said. “I met him many years ago when I was a player. Always really classy. And then I spent time at Home Depot
[Center] when I visited the L.A. Galaxy to watch the training.
“Always made me feel welcome. His wife made my wife feel welcome on our trips to L.A. When I landed in Miami, his was the first text I got from an MLS manager.”
Neville expects Arena’s team to be a handful.
“He’s a guy with great experience who builds really good football teams,” Neville said.
“He knows the players to get success, plays a really good system. Their team is really informed and tend to be really flexible and adaptable, whether it’s home or away they seem to pick up results. We’re under no illusions about the size of the task ahead of us.”