Scotland locks in, blows out Bolivia in final World Cup tune-up

A 90-degree day in Harrison, New Jersey, felt like Glasgow as Scotland made themselves at home.

In the team's last warm-up match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Scots outperformed the South Americans at Sports Illustrated Stadium, earning a 4-0 win over Bolivia.

"I spoke before there (were) no injuries, good performance, and we've got the results," Scotland manager Steve Clarke said after the match. "It's not often they give me everything I asked for, so pleased to do that."

Scotland's second half looked weak against a Bolivia side that was outplayed in the first half, with Clarke noting the abundant substitutions can do that to momentum. But overall a positive result in a positive atmosphere.

The Guardian's live reaction to the match summed it up well:

So, in conclusion, as we wait for reports and reaction: Scotland are going to win the World Cup.

Ché Adams brace leads attacking explosion

Scotland's starters set the pace. Lawrence Shankland, Scott McTominay and Ché Adams all scored within the first 45 minutes and helped dismantle Bolivia.

It didn't take long for Scotland to show it was the better team. Playing out of an old school 4-4-2, the Scots used some silky play to get into the left side of the box. Ryan Christie sent a ball towards Andy Robertson, who took it toward the endline before clipping a cross toward the back post. New Rangers signing Lawrence Shankland headed it in to open the scoring for Scotland.

Scott McTominay, one of my players to watch on this squad, was slicing up midfield early. While Scotland's attacks pressed up the sides, the middle approach was all thanks to the Napoli man. He helped set up Ché Adams, who nearly got a quickfire second for the Scots, but Bolivian keeper Guillermo Viscarra punched away the effort.

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After his goal, Shankland would add an assist in the 23rd minute. A sequence of play up the left, a cross into the box, a Shankland one-touch back to McTominay, who finished with a great shot into the bottom left corner.

Shankland's day was probably more than enough to earn him a starting spot against Haiti. AFC Bournemouth's Ben Gannon-Doak showed a lot himself, only just being outdone by Ché Adams.

The connection between the Bournemouth and Torino players was evident as the two combined for Scotland's final two goals of the half.

At the half-hour mark, just after the hydration break, Aaron Hickey sent a lovely long pass toward Gannon-Doak, who was able to get behind the right side of Bolivia's defense as he cut towards net to score Scotland's second. A perfect cross into the box found Adams, just in front of Viscarra, who punched in the third goal.

The fourth goal officially went unassisted. But Gannon-Doak essentially ran three-quarters the length of the SIS pitch, passing up to Adams, who shot from the left side of the box. After being blocked point-blank, Adams recovered and sent a worldy into the top right corner of the net in the 45th minute.

A rout, and one Scotland could use morally.

For Adams, this is his first brace for his country since June 2025 when he earned a hat trick against Liechtenstein in a 4-0 friendly win. In club play, his last brace came in January in an upset 3-2 win by Torino over Roma in the Copa Italia Round of 16.

Less convincing from second-half subs

Scotland took its foot off the gas for the second half. In total, ten subs were made during the final 45 minutes. That included Tyler Fletcher, the teenage Manchester United FC midfielder who replaced Billy Gilmour after the latter's injury last week late in the friendly match vs Curaçao.

Scotland ended the first half with seven shots on goal. The second half saw only one registered shot on target. John McGinn and Kieran Tierney never fully clicked after they joined the match in place of Ryan Christie and Andy Robertson. The left side of the attack never found its smooth rhythm again.

The loss of players like Shankland, Adams, and Gannon-Doak about 15 minutes into the second half cut the legs off the offense. It's hard to complain when Bolivia still only had two shots on target in the second half. Bolivia sub Melgar took a free kick in the 53rd that forced Angus Gunn into action, with the Scotland keeper punching away the potential clean sheet spoiler.

This game won't do Gunn many favors for fans still worried about the goalkeeping situation, but it was Scotland's first clean sheet since fall 2025, so there is that.

Regarding the attack, Clarke was asked by NY Soccer Journal if he was worried about his roster's lack of attack in the second half or his team's ability off the bench.

"We still created chances second half. I know (Lawrence Shankland) is in the dressing room beating himself up because he missed a few big chances to get a second goal just before he came off. Scott McTominay had a header that, I think was the goal, and it rattled off Jack Henry's head," Clarke explained. "We still created chances in the second half even though we probably didn't have the same fluidity that the starting 11 gave us, but that comes with the changes, the amount of changes that both teams have made, and on top of that, you've got another water break."

Scots show out in Harrison

Unofficially, I was told by stadium staff that 12,000 tickets were distributed for Saturday's match. In person, it looked like somewhere around 10,000 people showed up, with a majority there to support Scotland.

The environment in the area was intense. Over 150 people, four buses' worth of supporters were partying and celebrating at the Scots American Club in Kearny one town over from Harrison. Scotland's first appearance in the United States since 2012 meant a one-time chance to actually see the team in-person in their backyards.

That meant a full affair. Bagpipe marches, a packed bar, and more custom-pressed "Kearny Army, World Cup 2026" t-shirts being pressed than I could count. They came from all over. One fan, Hamish Munro, had never been to New Jersey before, but the Scottish immigrant by way of Indianapolis, Indiana, had to see this game in person, and knew the Scots Club was the place to congregate. And there were plenty more like him.

Then there's the stadium itself.

When you can determine a team bus has pulled up to an arena from inside the stadium because you can hear bagpipes playing in the distance, that's pretty cool. When you hear thousands of people singing "Flower of Scotland" in-sync for the first time, that's even cooler.

You couldn't walk two steps without hearing an accent, or seeing families together who either walked down the block or traveled long distances just to watch this game. Credit to the Bolivian fans who had their moments of cheering, but it was clear who the stars of the show were. And the salute by the Scotland National Team after the match, walking around the stadium to clap for their supporters, t00k a full three minutes, considering it wasn't just one or two sections.

Saturday was probably as close as many of these fans will get to seeing Scotland in person. With the team's matches in Boston and Florida being some of the most expensive of the tournament currently, the friendly which charged somewhere between $25 to $60 for average tickets, was a bargain.

I don't think many of the fans will care that this was a blowout tune-up game. They got to see their nation and represent their heritage for a full day. And even if they can't be at Gillette, I mean Boston Stadium, they'll still pack watch parties across the country to continue that spectacle.