What’s next for Inter Miami? Will Neville stay? Who replaces Higuain? Pizarro returning?

Inter Miami had just been knocked out of the MLS playoffs in the first round by defending champion New York City FC on Monday night, and coach Phil Neville and his players were emotionally spent.

The Citi Field visitors’ locker room was somber and there were lots of teary hugs as the team’s season and Gonzalo Higuain’s career came to an end.

Yes, the team exceeded expectations after clawing its way up from the Eastern Conference basement to the playoffs. It was especially noteworthy because the roster had 19 new players.

And yes, the team culture was vastly improved from a fractured group to a cohesive unit that socialized together on road trips and strutted its distinct fashion styles on a pink carpet runway before home games.

But Neville wants more. He was already thinking about next season the moment the final whistle blew Monday. His two-year contract is up, and he hopes to get an extension to finish the work he and sporting director Chris Henderson started. Team owners have not announced any decisions about Henderson’s or Neville’s futures.

“The players have been unbelievable, but we want better,” Neville said. “We want to win, challenge, go deep into the playoffs. We want to get to finals, semifinals. We want to finish in top four and get a home playoff. So, we can’t stand still.

“My feeling at the final whistle was where can we take this team? How can we improve? Because finishing in sixth isn’t success in my eyes. This is probably just a baby step forward from where we were last season.”

One thing Neville is proud of is the perception of his team.

“I think we’ve changed the way people look at Inter Miami, and that was important,” he said. “There was a lot of negativity around the club. People look at us slightly different, but we still have a long, long way to go and a lot of improving to do. That’s the challenge ahead.”

Who will replace Higuain?

Priority No. 1 is replacing Higuain, the Argentine striker who led the team with 16 goals this season and as a “designated player” was the highest paid on the roster at $5.8 million. Higuain said he plans to stay in Miami, study mental health and hopes to become a mental health coach someday, maybe with Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi, an even bigger Argentine star, has been linked to an Inter Miami move for years, but that remains a long shot. Another marquee player who has reportedly had preliminary talks with Miami is FC Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets. The 34-year-old midfielder said during Barca’s visit to South Florida during the summer that he is a fan of Inter Miami’s and watches MLS matches when he can.

Miami’s front office must decide whether to exercise its purchase option for Ecuadorean forward Leonardo Campana, who is on loan from English Premier League team Wolves. He scored 11 goals with two assists in 26 games for Miami this season, and likely would have scored more were it not for late-season injuries.

Campana, 21, was due to make $1.3 million this season. Inter Miami paid the Wolves $84,000 for Campana ($135,680 with bonuses) and the English club covered the rest as part of the loan.

The team also has a decision to make about Alejandro Pozuelo, a $4.6 million playmaker who was traded from Toronto to Inter Miami in July, made a big impact and whose contract expires this offseason.

Other players out of contract include Brek Shea, George Acosta, and Joevin Jones.

Will Rodolfo Pizarro come back?

There is a chance midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro could return to Miami from his loan spell with Mexican club Monterrey.

Miami loaned him out for 2022 with an option to purchase, but word is he is not in Monterrey’s plans. Pizarro was Inter Miami’s first designated player in 2020. He played 47 games and started 38, scoring seven goals with 12 assists. Monterrey covered most of his $3.35 million salary, and the move cleared the maximum $612,500 in salary cap space for Inter Miami, which used the money to add players.

“We’ve got a big offseason ahead, some important decisions to make,” Neville said. You look at NYC, they’ve invested heavily in their group and that took time to develop. We’ve got to build on what we’ve got now and add in the bits that are going to help us be successful. In this league that is DPs, guys that are going to keep scoring goals at the top end of the pitch.”

Unlike the complete overhaul last offseason, Neville says a few key additions would elevate the team to the next level.

“We’ve proven that we can compete with anyone in this league on any given day and now it’s about adding three players of real quality that would make us a challenger for top four in my eyes. Looking for top-end players, three players who are real match winners that can go into our starting 11 and really improve us.”