(MIAMI, January 18, 2021) – Inter Miami FC is undergoing a major shakeup in soccer operations after just one, pandemic riddled season in club history. Chris Henderson replaces Paul McDonaugh, and Phil Neville has been hired to coach the team replacing Diego Alonso.
Inter Miami hit hard reset, hire Henderson, Neville
Phil Neville replaces Diego Alonso, becoming Miami’s second manager in as many seasons. Inter Miami’s first season wasn’t great.
They had the worst start to a club’s history in MLS Expansion history, going winless in their first five games in club history. In the end, they made the playoffs and scored a couple of nice goals, but other than that it was a disappointing debut season for an expansion franchise that has had what feels like a decade to get it all in place.
Diego Alonso was a big-name hire, and after bringing in Rodolfo Pizarro, it seemed like Miami was ready to go down the “Liga MX” path to building out the roster. But clearly, the Global player and semi-European aspirations of David Beckham and Jorge Mas overtook what McDonaugh was trying to do in building the club. Increasingly, Inter Miami looked less and less like a team Alonso would be able to get his message to clearly, and while they rallied, the project was cut short after just one year.
Beckham comes to forefront
Enter David Beckham to the picture, apparently more firmly than was there at the start of the franchise. Beckham helped bring in Chris Henderson, who is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces to the Seattle Sounders front office that put together a routine juggernaut in a league that is geared to parity. While Henderson comes in to help the MLS building side of things, Beckham and co have also brought in Phil Neville.
Neville led the English Women’s program to the World Cup semi-Finals in 2019, where Alex Morgan famously dunked on England’s backline and sipped her tea in the process. Neville will enter his first true club managerial role with Inter Miami, as his only managerial experience comes with the England Women’s National Team.
“I am incredibly delighted for this opportunity to coach Inter Miami and to work with Chris and the entire ownership group,” Neville said in the club’s press release. “This is a very young club with a lot of promise and upside, and I am committed to challenging myself, my players, and everyone around me to grow and build a competitive soccer culture we can all be proud of. This fantastic soccer-loving market deserves consistent performances and a winning mentality, and I look forward to getting to work.”
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