Steve Clarke is on the verge of delivering the most consequential team talk of his managerial career — the kind of address that a string of Scotland managers across 28 largely painful years would have given anything to make.

What once felt as far-fetched as winning the lottery is now a concrete reality. After missing out on six successive World Cups, Scotland have arrived in the United States, and game day is finally here.

End of a long exile

More than 10,000 days have passed since Scotland last appeared at a World Cup — an era spanning prime ministers, technological revolutions, and entire generations of supporters who never got to see their country on football's greatest stage. For the Tartan Army, there were moments when days like these must have seemed like they would never return.

The weight of that history is not lost on Clarke. He has shown he can speak to the soul of a dressing room when it matters most — his address to his players ahead of the decisive Denmark qualifier at Hampden last November moved a nation. That night, goals from Scott McTominay — an overhead kick of breathtaking audacity — Lewis Ferguson, Kieran Tierney, and Kenny McLean sealed qualification in extraordinary fashion and lit the country ablaze.

Players who never got the chance

Clarke may remind his squad of the legends who never got this far: John Greig, Tommy Gemmell, Billy McNeill, Jim Baxter, Jimmy Johnstone — giants of the Scottish game who were never afforded this privilege. From more recent generations, the names of James McFadden, Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher, and Barry Ferguson can be added to the list of those who missed out.

The players chosen to start against Haiti — and those waiting on the bench — are the fortunate few carrying the expectations of all who came before them.

Clarke's tactical approach

Clarke has spoken openly about the flexibility of his squad and hinted that a key player may be held in reserve, with the team that finishes the match potentially needing to be as strong as the one that starts. It appears he will stick with Lawrence Shankland and Che Adams leading the line, meaning one prominent midfielder is likely to begin on the bench.

Scotland head into the match with momentum, having scored eight goals across their most recent fixtures — though both Curacao and Bolivia offered limited resistance. Captain Andy Robertson struck a defiant tone ahead of kick-off: Scotland will take the game to their opponents and will not die wondering.

Opponents not to be underestimated

Haiti sit 83rd in the FIFA world rankings, but Clarke has repeatedly stressed their physical power, athleticism, and — perhaps most strikingly — their mental resilience. The squad represent a nation gripped by severe humanitarian crisis: Port-au-Prince is controlled by armed gangs, public services have collapsed, thousands of schools have closed, and some 10 percent of the population have fled the country. Head coach Sebastien Migne has been unable to set foot in Haiti in two years in charge. That kind of hardship can forge an extraordinary will to win.

Haiti also arrived at this tournament in form, defeating New Zealand 4-0 in a warm-up fixture — the same New Zealand side that subsequently lost only 1-0 to England.

The stakes

Scotland have won just four of their 23 World Cup matches in history. With Morocco and Brazil to follow in the group stage, this opener against Haiti is effectively a must-win. Clarke and his players have said as much themselves, declaring openly that their ambition is to become the first Scotland side to advance from a World Cup group.

Millions back home and a vast travelling Tartan Army in the United States share a strange, potent mixture of hope and anxiety. For Clarke's players, the history of Scottish football rests on their shoulders — and the opportunity in front of them is one that generations of legends never had.