Neville: “We’ve got to bounce back very quickly”

Inter Miami CF fell to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena after going down a man in the first half. Head coach Phil Neville addressed media members after the match, and emphasized the importance of staying focused at such a crucial stage of the MLS regular season.

“At this stage of the season, you can’t dwell, you can’t feel sorry for yourselves,” Neville said. “This is a tough one to take, but we’ve got to bounce back very quickly. We’ve got a big game on Wednesday, and we have to make sure everyone’s right, and keep positivity in the camp…I thought we played really well. We worked really hard, controlled the game, and created chances.”

With seven games left in the regular season, and still in the running for a playoff position in the Eastern Conference standings, Neville and the squad’s focus is on the next game on the schedule: Wednesday’s match against the Columbus Crew.

“We said we’ve got to win at least three or four of the away games. That hasn’t changed. We won one in San Jose, we got a point in Montreal, and we’ve still got to win games away from home. That starts Wednesday against Columbus. That’s the next biggest game. We’re not looking beyond that to Chicago because we’ve got a real, real important game against Columbus on Wednesday.”

Defender Christopher McVey echoed the coaching staff’s vision of focusing on the upcoming games, saying, “We take it one game at a time. We just look now at the next game. We have to let this game go, even though it’s disappointing. I feel like we’re doing really well; we came out with great energy and had a lot of chances, and Gonzalo [Higuaín] scored an amazing goal… We look forward now.”

Higuaín’s golazo was also a bright spot mentioned by Neville, as the Argentine is in marvelous form; the Week 23 MLS Player of the Week has scored seven goals in the last nine games.

“[Gonzalo’s] right in form,” Neville noted. “He’s been fantastic; cheering everyone on, being a leader in the dressing room. He’s been sensational. Without a doubt, the best form he’s been in since he’s been at Inter Miami.”

Neville also issued a call to action for the squad, expressing that at this critical juncture in the season, everyone’s full effort would be required for the team’s success.

“We were always going to get to a point in the season where we have to utilize our strength in depth. We spoke before the game and I said we’re strong, and we’ve got real quality to come in. it’s time for these players to step up.”

Inter Miami CF faces the Columbus Crew in its next match on Wednesday, August 31 at Lower.com Field. The match in Ohio kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast on My33, UniMás and the Inter Miami App.