28 May – Clarke signs a new four-year deal, saying it was important to “plan for the future” and give “certainty ahead of the World Cup”, while laying “foundations for the long term”.
Some questioned the timing so close to the start of the World Cup, but at least it offered some security before Scotland’s eagerly anticipated World Cup return.
Just 15 months beforehand, he said there was a “75% chance” he “will not renew his contract after the World Cup”, so the fact he signed a four-year deal raised eyebrows, to say the least.
30 May – Scotland beat 10-man Curacao in a tournament tune-up. Clarke claimed it offered a “glimpse into the future” after 19-year-old Findlay Curtis scored and Tyler Fletcher – son of Darren – made this debut.
Scotland left the country on a high in their Hampden send-off match and with youth given a run-out, most appeared content on their journey across the pond with the objective of making history.
31 May – Scotland travel to Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami, for a pre-tournament training camp in sweltering and thunderstorm-laden conditions.
This was viewed as a crucial step in their World Cup campaign after some debate over their previous choice of camps for the proceeding European Championships.
It gave the players downtime, the chance to aclimatise and there was a sense of a culture shift among the squad from previous campaigns.
2 June – Clarke tells the media the SFA had “spent more than they wanted to” for the stay at the home of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, but they were provided with “everything they asked for”.
Assistant coach Steven Naismith confirmed later in the month the players were consulted on what they liked and didn’t like from previous tournaments, and were asked what they wanted – with acclimatising and a longer pre-tournament camp among the priorities.
6 June – In their final warm-up match, Scotland beat Bolivia 4-0 with Clarke saying, “for once I got everything I asked for”.
Scotland – finally – head into a major tournament on a high, with goals aplenty in an eye-catching performance. A real feel around the camp that they could “do something special” in the Boston, Miami, and maybe beyond.
