Inter Miami loses 1-0 to Montreal. Phil Neville says five-game skid “unacceptable.”
Even the normally ebullient T.V. analyst Ray Hudson sounded subdued as Inter Miami’s scoring struggles continued during a 1-0 loss on the road against CF Montreal Saturday night.
It was the fifth loss in a row for Miami and fifth shutout in the past seven games. Inter Miami has just two wins through 11 games and slipped to 13th place in the 14-team Eastern Conference with 23 games remaining.
Coach Phil Neville, who was hired in January to turn things around after Inter Miami parted ways with Diego Alonso, put it simply: “This run is unacceptable.”
He refused to make excuses and took his share of responsibility for the skid.
Neville conceded that the team loses some confidence after a string of losses. But he believes the goals will come and fortunes will turn starting with the July 17 game against New York Red Bulls. Gonzalo Higuain, Rodolfo Pizarro and Robbie Robinson will be fully fit by then, Neville said, and new European signings Kieran Gibbs and Nick Marsman will be with the squad.
Higuain, Miami’s $6 million forward and leading scorer with five goals in nine games, came off the bench again in the second half Saturday as he works to get in peak fitness. He made an immediate impact, dictating pace, drawing defenders and drawing fouls. His teammates, who were a bit listless and sloppy in the fist half, seemed more inspired when Higuain was on the field.
Neville said Higuain will start the next game against the Red Bulls. Pizarro, coming off a hip injury, entered in the 70th minute and Neville said he, too, will play more after the two-week break.
“Ultimately you’re judged on results, and we’ve lost five straight games and that is unacceptable,” Neville said. “The players are as disappointed as I’ve seen them. But the luck will change for us. We know what we have to do. We have to attack the rest of the season going into the meat of the season. Now we’re coming to a marathon, three games a week, playing the best teams.
“No more hiding places. We can’t hide behind injuries. Can’t hide behind international call ups. It’s win time.”
Miami’s biggest problem has been in the final third. The team has had trouble creating scoring chances and making good passes and crosses to put the forwards and wingers in scoring positions. Montreal, by contrast, pressured Miami’s defense in waves and held a 17-5 edge on shots. Mathieu Choinier scored the game’s lone goal in the 41st minute.
“Montreal created more chances than us, every time they went forward, like most teams have when they play against us,” Neville said.
Defender Kelvin Leerdam experienced a similar slump when he was with the Seattle Sounders, and said “a little luck and a little spark” can lead to a string of wins.
“Were in a very, very difficult situation right now, but we have to keep believing,” Leerdam said. “Hopefully we can get that spark. We need to find those little moments, maybe score on a set piece, a shot from distance to get us over the hump. The only way is up from here. We need a win…quick.”
Neville said all players are being held accountable.
“Those players that have been brought to the club to produce moments of magic, to produce match-winning performances, match-winning crosses, we need them to deliver. That’s not a threat. That’s a reality. We’re losing too many games.”
Asked why Higuain did not start Saturday’s game, Neville replied:
“Because Gonzalo’s on a fitness program to get fit. He’s getting fitter every day, every game. He agrees with it and we’re going to stick to the plan, and he’ll be 100 percent fit for the New York Red Bulls. It’s a stringent plan we have him on. We need 90 minutes out of every single player and to do that you need peak fitness. Tough decisions were made. We knew we were taking someone out of the starting lineup that was one of our best attacking players, but ultimately it is for the good of the group, of the long-term success of the team this season.”
Due to COVID-19 border restrictions imposed by the Canadian government, Montreal’s “home” games are in the United States this season and they have been sharing Inter Miami’s training facility in Fort Lauderdale. Saturday’s game could not be played at DRV PNK Stadium because Gold Cup matches are being held there all weekend, so it was held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
Inter Miami will be back at Red Bull Arena for the July 17 game and then has home games against the New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union and Montreal.
“Those four games will determine whether we’ll be challenging for the playoffs or not,” Neville said.
This story was originally published July 3, 2021 at 11:24 PM.