Inter Miami co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham held a press conference to introduce new head coach Phil Neville and CSO & Sporting Director Chris Henderson. Mas and Beckham took the opportunity to share their excitement for their new hires, as well as what motivated them to bring the pair onboard the Inter Miami project.
“The decisions we made to bring Chris Henderson and Phil Neville onboard don’t necessarily have to do with just wins and losses or points that we accumulated in 2020. For us, it goes beyond that, it goes to what happens on non-gamedays, it goes to building a culture of making players better here: from aspects of sports performance, medical, training, nutrition, education, so many factors and facets that go into excelling on the field,” said Mas. “These moves were precipitated by the fact that we as owners aspire, we won’t settle for mediocrity. We think that bringing in new leadership can help us excel in all of the areas that will make us a better Club and a better team and establish a DNA and culture that is a reflection of ownership’s aspirations. We felt that Chris and Phil were the leaders that we need for the following chapters of Inter Miami in 2021 and beyond.”
“It was important to install the culture and the hard work that we expect at this Club. We’ve spoken about the young players around our city and the real opportunity and potential that we have. We need people within this Club that are going to work with these young kids. It’s not just about our First Team, it’s about the Academy, it’s about USL, it’s about the potential that runs through this Club, and that was the most important thing for me to see and understand, and it’s one of the reasons we’ve made the changes that we have,” added Beckham.
The development of players, regardless of age or status, was a key element for Beckham in the search.
“One of the reasons I felt Phil would be a great fit within this Club is because there’s huge potential; huge potential to work with our academy kids, huge potential to work with our USL boys, and there’s huge potential within our Club and our First Team where there are talented young players combined with experienced players,” stated Beckham. “I know what Phil is like as a personality, I know what he’s like as a coach and I know what he’s like as a human being. He’s trustworthy, he’s loyal and he’s hardworking. We wanted to bring that into our Club, to bring that into our training facility.”
“As a player I relied on Phil to keep making those runs by the side of me – I never gave him the ball because I felt I was a better crosser of the ball than he was, so he never got those,” Beckham added with a smile. “But I knew that he would keep on making those runs because he knew that was what was best for the team. He would make those decisions as a coach, not just of our Club, but of our Academy system and USL team, and as a leader. That’s why he’s here in this position…He’s the right man for the job.”
In regards to the decision to hire Henderson, Mas and Beckham reiterated their belief that he is a perfect fit.
“Chris earned this job. This is a very attractive position and I think Chris is uber-qualified for what we want to do,” said Mas.
“Chris’ experience speaks for itself, his history speaks for itself. He’s a hard worker and the experience that he has will be so important for this Club,” added Beckham.
