Phil Neville: Inter Miami CF in a “miles better place” for 2022 MLS season

Miami hope the re-made group can hit the ground running, though Neville cautioned developing chemistry and camaraderie can take time.

With that in mind, Neville said team bonding has been central to the club’s preseason approach as new players get acclimated ahead of their 2022 opener Feb. 26 vs. Chicago Fire FC (6 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).

“For a team to come together and gel it’s probably easier when you make bigger changes,” Neville said. “Because you think about the 12 new players that we brought in, they’ve all just been thrust into a dressing room and it’s, ‘We’ve got to know each other, we’ve got to be together as a team.’ Rather than bring in one or two that are probably sometimes isolated early on.

” … One of our main focuses this preseason has been the bonding, the togetherness, the spirit of the team, because without that, the tactics and systems don’t mean anything. So we’ve worked really hard at that. It does take time to form friendships and understanding and connections, but I think we’re really in a good place.”