Touchline Talk
Goalkeeping heroics and a strong defense helped Inter Miami earn its second clean sheet of the season following a hardfought scoreless draw away against Orlando City SC at Exploria Stadium on Friday, Aug. 27.
Following the match, head coach Phil Neville praised the team’s overall performance and dedication towards maintaining the clean sheet on the road.
“I thought tonight we showed the quality that is needed when you are on the road, the fight, the determination. We’re building momentum,” said Neville.
“The way that they all fought for each other I thought was fantastic. We keep adding a little layer of something else to our game that gives me great confidence and has given the team great confidence.”
Neville added additional praise for goalkeeper Nick Marsman, who was unbeatable between the sticks, and the backline and midfield.
“We had some real heroic performances, the keeper especially was outstanding. I think we got a real top-class keeper there in Nick. The back three I thought were absolutely fantastic as well, and protected really well by the two midfielders.”
Marsman was personally satisfied with the clean sheet, emphasizing the importance of this result for both his and the squad’s confidence going forward,
“I was waiting a lot for a clean sheet…I’m very happy I can be useful for the team and save the point,” said Marsman.
“A clean sheet is the biggest achievement for the defense and for the goalkeeper. It gives us a lot of confidence towards the next game. We were waiting a long time for it. Now we got it so hopefully we can continue that.”
Neville now hopes that Inter Miami can use this result to continue building its momentum going forward.
“We come away with another point and we continue to build the momentum…It’s beginning to look like a team Miami supporters can look at and be really proud of.”
