Inter Miami, on five-game losing streak, faces ‘pivotal week’ with three away games

Inter Miami heads into the road game against Houston on Saturday night mired in a five-game losing slump, but coach Phil Neville insists nobody is panicking.

Calling it “a pivotal week” with three consecutive games away from home, Neville said he is confident the team’s grit, experience and a few lineup changes will get Miami back on track.

“We’ve been here before last season, and we know exactly how to get out of it,” Neville said. “We’ve used these two weeks to strengthen the roster and get back to basics in terms of who we are, what we want to be and where we want to go. I am 100 percent sure we will perform get the results we need and be where we want to be at the end of the season.”

The addition of Ecuadorian defensive midfielder Dixon Arroyo and Canadian center back Kamal Miller should help, though both are awaiting international visa clearance. Neville said they were doubtful for Saturday’s game.

Arroyo, 30, has played for Ecuador’s national team, was a captain at Emelec, and was brought in as a replacement for injured Miami captain Gregore, who is out six months. Miller, who played for Canada in the 2022 World Cup, was traded from CF Montreal last week in exchange for Bryce Duke, Ariel Lassiter and $1.3 million.

“It’s no coincidence that since the injury to Gregore our form has dipped,” Neville said. “I feel as if the games we lost, there were certain aspects of the game we played real well, but there are fundamental things you have to do in MLS, which is compete, be physical, be aggressive, be organized, have personality. I feel in that midfield area we’ve been lacking those qualities. With Dixon, what we’ve seen, he adds something to this team as a starter.”

Dixon had vacationed in Miami, loves South Florida, followed Ecuadorian teammate Leo Campana with Inter Miami and was impressed with the club’s facilities when Ecuador played a friendly there last year. He was looking for a new start, and the Miami opportunity came at the perfect time.

“I always wanted to play outside Ecuador and make that jump,” he said. “I am here to replace a great player, the captain. My position requires me to play take on a defensive role, but when I get in the area, I can score goals and I have during my career. I like to recover balls and make a good first pass so the team can keep the attack going.”

Midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro said Arroyo reminds him of Gregore and is a perfect fill-in.

“He’s very similar, and we needed a player like that,” Pizarro said. “We didn’t have anyone on the roster who played with those defensive characteristics. Having him here frees up [Jean] Mota, who had been sacrificing and playing more defensively, but that is not his forte. Now, Mota will be able to help with the attack up higher.”

Miller has been on Neville’s radar for two years and was finally able to make the trade. He will challenge Christopher McVey for the starting job.

“Kamal is someone I’ve admired for a long time, and I saw him a lot because Montreal was training on our doorstep [at the Miami practice facility] during COVID,” Neville said. “I felt as if he was the pivotal figure because of his composure, his qualities, passing range. Four months ago, he was playing in a World Cup, so he brings some leadership. That’s really important. We need men at this moment in time.”

After the Houston game, Miami faces USL team Miami FC on Wednesday night in a third-round U.S. Open Cup game at FIU Stadium and then plays on the road against the Columbus Crew on April 29.

Asked whether he feels pressure from team ownership to win during this three-game stretch, Neville replied:

“We have to win. I’m under no illusions about the task ahead or what’s required in my role. This is the year we’ve got to deliver. I work for an ownership group that are winners in their own fields and they want to win for Inter Miami. They want to make it a great brand with the best players, they’re building a new stadium. They want to see a winning culture, success on and off the field. It’s a results business.

“Last season at this point we had one point. This season we’ve got six points. I didn’t like last season and I don’t like it now. But in terms of support from ownership, not once have they ever wavered on me, doubted me. They’ve supported me, backed me, challenged me and that’s why I love working at this football club and why I am so determined to succeed here.”