Phil Neville: Inter Miami ‘in fight mode’ to end losing skid Sunday vs. Philadelphia

Inter Miami had just suffered a humiliating 5-0 home loss to the New England Revolution on Wednesday night, a chorus of boos rained down from the frustrated home fans and during post-game handshakes, Revolution coach Bruce Arena left first-year Miami coach Phil Neville with eight words of advice:

“Dig in. Stick with it. It will turn.”

Neville is taking the words to heart.

He is under intense scrutiny because his team has been outscored 13-1 during a six-game skid and is in last place in the league standings. But Neville believes better days are ahead starting at home Sunday against the Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m., My33, CW34, UniMas).

“You’ve got two options in life sometimes, to feel sorry for yourselves, sit around and mope, blaming, but it’s about fixing and confronting the challenges in front of us,” Neville said. “The last couple of days we have reflected, and I think the whole team is in fight mode to reverse the bad feeling and the negativity that surrounds the team.

“The dressing room is 100 percent with me, I feel that, and I’ve seen a dressing room that’s not with a manager. I’ve seen a dressing room turn on a manager. What we do need now is true leadership. We need those experienced players to stand up and be counted.”

Neville said he will not pick his 11 starters until 6:38 p.m. Sunday, an hour before kickoff. Playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro will not be available, as he is with the Mexican national team for the Gold Cup quarterfinals.

“I’m going to look into their eyeballs and see who’s up for the fight,” he said. “I’ve told them if they’re not ready for the fight, come and see me. But I have a feeling this group of players is ready to fight.”

The team morale was understandably low on Wednesday night and Thursday, midfielder Jay Chapman said, but the energy picked up Friday.

“When we came in after the game that was definitely the worst I’ve seen the guys morale-wise with good reason, that was the worst result we’ve had and one of the worst I’ve had as a professional athlete,” Chapman said. “The day after there was still some hangover from the game. But we can’t hang our heads. We have to learn from it. At this point, every game is a final for us.”

Their next challenge is third-place Philadelphia, which is coming off a 2-1 road loss Thursday night at Orlando City. Philadelphia is a perennial league power, but one of Miami’s two wins this season was on the road against the Union, so that gives them hope.

Neville and Chapman are motivated by the diehard supporters who have stuck around through torrential rainstorms, lightning delays and the losing streak. Many of them have traveled to road games.

“The thing I keep thinking in my mind is the supporters that come every week, back us on social media, buy our merchandise, follow us all over this great big country we live in,” Neville said. “It’s now time to fight for them because they’re our life and blood.”

Chapman agreed.

“We really have to give the fans a game they can be proud of,” Chapman said. “We haven’t been good enough at home, that’s no secret. I hate looking up at the fans after these losses. It’s the worst feeling because they support us all game long and a game like that who would have blamed them for walking out and they stayed until the very end.”

Chapman believes one reason Miami is losing is that players tend to “shut down” when they face adversity during a game.

He pointed out that Miami was dominating New England the first 15 minutes, but then the Revolution scored a goal that was called back for offside and soon after scored on a free kick. “And then we just kind of went into a shell,” Chapman said. “For us its about finding a group of players that have the willingness to fight, not put their heads down.

“At this point, we’ve lost so many games, it’s not about who’s the best player. It’s about who’s the best for the team right now…At times there’s been a lot of individual thinking, times in games when guys make plays to try to make themselves look good whereas we need to be a team and work for each other.”

Neville has also suggested that the team spirit is what needs to change.

“The problem [Wednesday] wasn’t systems or tactics,” he said. “This game is about attitude, having the fight, that togetherness and spirit. We’re playing a team that embeds all those qualities in Philadelphia. They’ve got a brilliant manager, brilliant set of players that just do their job. Are they flashy? No. They do their job and do it really well and that’s why they win.”

Chapman remains optimistic.

“A lot of people might think we’re out of it, and we do have a tall mountain to climb, but we’re in a hole we need to quickly get out of if we’re going to make a post-season and that’s what this club deserves. Everyone who comes here wants to win an MLS Cup. It’s Miami. It’s David Beckham’s team. This team can’t fail. Every one of us needs to be better.”