Craig Gordon stood on the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, watching his Scotland teammates dismantle Bolivia 4-0, and in that moment Steve Clarke's selection puzzle became gloriously complicated.
The Scotland head coach had walked into the match hoping for one thing: a clean performance ahead of the World Cup with no injuries. What he got instead was something far more troubling for any manager—too many players playing too well at once. In the sweltering heat of the American summer, Clarke's squad delivered a statement display, with four goals scored in a breathless first half that left him with what he acknowledged as "some decisions to make."
The selection headache runs deepest in defence, where Scotland's backline performed with such commanding precision that even the coach himself singled them out for praise. "The way they dropped down, kept the team compact and didn't allow Bolivia to play through us," Clarke said, but beneath that compliment lies a genuine dilemma. The centre-back position has become a genuine contest. Grant Hanley, the 34-year-old Hibernian veteran who Clarke has long trusted, showed his experience once again without putting a foot wrong. Yet alongside him, Al Ettifaq's Jack Hendry—a man accustomed to sweltering conditions after three years in Saudi Arabia—commanded the backline with such authority that he appears to have seized the starting spot for the tournament opener in Boston. That leaves John Souttar and Scott McKenna, impressive performers in the previous friendly, watching from the sidelines.
Even more intriguing is the question at goalkeeper, where the squad's oldest player at 43 years old may finally get his moment. Craig Gordon was originally confirmed as the number one when the squad was announced, yet Angus Gunn of Nottingham Forest started against Bolivia. Gordon, who was brutally overlooked for Euro 2024 despite battling a shoulder injury, appears set for a chance at a major tournament before his career closes. Both keepers, however, share the same vulnerability heading into the competition: a lack of minutes for their clubs this season.
But the most fascinating headache Clarke faces belongs to his midfield, where Scotland's four-goal first half didn't even require John McGinn. Scott McTominay proved, if proof were even needed, why his position at the heart of the team remains untouchable. Lewis Ferguson of Bologna—who captain Andy Robertson said had "turned into a man" during qualification—orchestrated play with cultured precision. Yet it was the Bournemouth pair of Ben Gannon-Doak and Ryan Christie who truly dominated the afternoon, taking command of the flanks in ways that Clarke cannot simply ignore. Gannon-Doak, who had excited supporters before suffering an injury that kept him out of Euro 2024, showed flashes of genuine brilliance.
As Scotland files out of New Jersey and heads toward their tournament opener, Clarke faces the enviable problem of having genuine selection competition across the pitch. His team has momentum, momentum that came not from grinding out a narrow victory but from delivering a performance that reminded everyone watching exactly what Scotland's ambitions are. The decisions he makes in the coming days will determine whether that feel-good factor carries all the way through the tournament.