Inter Miami CF have signed head coach Phil Neville to a contract extension ahead of the 2023 MLS season, the club announced Monday. The exact length was not disclosed.
Neville took over the Herons before the 2021 campaign, having last led the England women’s national team. While they didn’t make the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs that year, Inter Miami roared back in 2022 to earn the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed despite adding 18 players to a reshaped roster.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Phil and build on the foundation put in place this year,” chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson said in a release. “He has helped Inter Miami build a winning culture, and we feel our processes, collaboration and communication have begun to bear fruit. We are ready for the road ahead and are confident we are heading in the right direction.”
Under Neville’s guidance in 2022, Inter Miami achieved club-record marks for points (48), wins (14) and goals scored (47). They also picked up 21 points from losing positions, tied for second most in the league, and thrived at DRV PNK Stadium, amassing the third-most home wins of any team in the league (10) and sixth-most points at home (33).
“It’s a great honor to stay at Inter Miami. I’ve always thought long-term, I’ve always thought that I want to be at this club for a long time,” said Neville, a distinguished defender during his own playing career.
“I think we’re in the early growth period of this club, the early building process and I feel as if we’ve made great strides over the last two years, but by no means is the journey finished. In 2022 we finished sixth in the league, we got into playoffs. But that’s not success, that’s progression. The expectation is to win.”
Inter Miami will enter 2023 – their fourth MLS season – with potentially three open Designated Player spots, most notably losing star striker Gonzalo Higuain to retirement. US international right back DeAndre Yedlin will be a key returner, while second-leading scorer Leonardo Campana is reportedly returning after a year-long loan from Wolves.
Before coming to MLS, Neville’s England side won the 2019 SheBelieves Cup. He also experienced coaching stints as an assistant with Valencia CF, Manchester United and the England men's U-21s.
