Heron Talk presented by Gallagher
Inter Miami recently closed the book on its most accomplished season yet, reaching the playoffs under the guidance of Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson and head coach Phil Neville. Today, the Club announced that Neville signed a contract extension ahead of the 2023 MLS season. Following the announcement, Henderson shared his thoughts on the momentum the Club is gathering ahead as it charges towards 2023.
“I feel like we took some really good steps this year…I felt the progress was what we wanted. We are an ambitious club. The support from Jorge and Jose Mas and David Beckham, they have been together with us since day one, but we want to win here and we want to compete for championships,” said Henderson.
The Washington native CSO and Sporting Director will be entering his third season with the Club alongside Neville. Following the news of his extension, Henderson praised their strong working relationship and the boost it provides in establishing a strong Inter Miami culture.
“I’m really happy that Phil is continuing with us, because we’ve worked every day tirelessly on the DNA and culture of the Club, putting the foundations in place for long-term success.
“I want to talk about what we have been able to do together and where we are going, continuing to build the camaraderie and collaboration that we have between our players and staff. When I look back at my years in this league, I haven’t had in a really long time the collaboration between front office and coaching staff that I’ve had at this Club. They work together, just living the values of the Club together every single day.”
Henderson also looked ahead, emphasizing the need to add high-character individuals to the Club at all levels that will continue to fit what the existing group is building.
“It’s about the people that we bring in, including players, staff, and everybody working together in the building. What drives me and gets me up in the morning is that we set high goals and we want to accomplish them and have a successful run as a team, but it’s about what we are becoming as a Club to achieve those successes. That’s what really makes me proud, we’re heading in the right direction.
“For us, it’s about finding the right character, who’s going to fit the values and where we want to go as a Club, be able to impact the team and how we play…Those are things we look at, how they’re going to fit within our team, how we predict the way we’re going to play and build our team around that player. At the same time, we want a player who’s going to connect with our community…We have the best fans in the league…I think we want players who are going to come in, fit in, be part of this community, and be players that the community is proud of.”
Henderson also looked even further into the future, taking a moment to reflect on the Club’s successes at the youth levels, highlighting the significant accomplishments of Inter Miami CF II and Academy in 2022.
“We’re really proud of what we’re building in our Academy going through our Second Team. Craig Dalrymple has done a really good job setting the foundation for our Academy, winning the MLS NEXT Cup at the U-15 level was huge…There’s a lot of players coming through the system and we want to make sure that we are developing those in the right way. Phil is really good at working with young players and having young players train with the First Team every day. I think that development is something ownership is really focused on. You look at the talent in South Florida and there’s so many young players coming through, and we want to give an opportunity at Inter Miami.”
