Inter Miami fell 1-0 with nine men in a dramatic match against D.C. United at Audi Field. Despite the result and events that transpired throughout the game, head coach Phil Neville was quick to praise the team for their resilience and their attitudes throughout the match.
“The whole team never stopped running and fighting for each other. They stuck to the game plan, they trusted each other. And that has got to be the norm for now on. That’s what we told them, that’s what we agreed [to] as a team, those are the words that the team used: desire, togetherness, spirit, confidence, supporting each other. I thought we got that in abundance tonight,” said Neville.
Neville was especially encouraged by the team’s mentality and commitment throughout the match.
“Even when we went down to nine men, we had a team that was on the field that was 100% committed to the Inter Miami badge and that’s why I was super proud of them,” he added. “I thought they were really disciplined….They kept their discipline, they kept fighting to the end and I only applaud them for that.”
Defender Leandro González Pirez shared Neville’s sentiments regarding the squad’s confidence and pride in their performance. LGP accepted the result and expressed plans to look forward to what is ahead for Inter Miami.
“I think we had a plan and idea to play this game. We are getting our confidence back, so we need to be together on the field and fight for each other and try to get a result.This is what we tried to do today.”
“We are proud of ourselves. We came into the locker room and looked each other in our faces [with] our heads up. We fought with 10 men, we fought with nine men, so it is what it is…We have to change the page and move forward.”
Ultimately, Neville wants to use this game as not only a learning experience, but also as a motivator for the next fixture.
“We’ve got to make sure that we pick ourselves up for another game next week against Orlando in our house. We know what we’re up against, we know what we’ve got to do. There is going to be no excuses from any single one of us, we know that,” concluded Neville.
