Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville's seat might be as hot as it's ever been following their 1-0 home loss to the struggling New York Red Bulls.
Neville, who's been at the club since start of 2021, has faced constant criticism and disapproval all season from the Herons' faithful. While last season's sixth-place finish eased the pressure off Neville just a bit, the calls for him to be removed from his position are now louder than ever.
Inter Miami has lost 10 games this season, the most in Major League Soccer. While their defense has not been all too terrible with 19 goals conceded, the Herons have scored the third-least goals in the league with 14.
Miami has won just once in their last five games, with the win coming against Nashville SC in the U.S. Open Cup. The Herons had the chance to take the lead against the Red Bulls but Leo Campana's penalty was saved in the ninth minute. Red Bulls' Tom Barlow scored early in the second half that ended up being the winning goal.
While Neville accepts responsibility for the situation and understands the growing discontent among the fans, he doesn't understand booing the young players in the squad. This includes his son, Harvey, who is just 20-years-old.
"Please, just come for me," Neville stated in response to the fans. "… Don’t kill one of our own, don’t dump one of our own. Just come for me. ... Don’t go for one of my boys, don’t go for one of my young kids because that hurts, that’s personal."
Neville was't the only one to defend the young players in the squad.
"If you’re gonna boo him, then boo all of us," USMNT veteran DeAndre Yedlin stated. "… We understand their frustrations but, you know, I don’t think it’s right to go after one player, especially a young player."
Inter Miami's next chance to move out from the bottom of the Eastern Conference is at home against D.C. United on Saturday night. Wayne Rooney, D.C.'s head coach, will look to level the head-to-head series against his former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville.
This article was originally published on 90min as Phil Neville under even more pressure following 1-0 loss to Red Bulls.
