There was no small talk from the driver as the taxi wound its way through Boston’s leafy streets towards Logan Airport.
The chatter on the local radio station’s morning show was proving stimulating enough with events of the previous evening dominating the airwaves.
A day after the Tartan Army had marched on the home of the Patriots, a pilgrimage was made to another of this city’s sporting citadels.
By happy co-incidence, the Red Sox are in town this week. Their game with the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park felt like a gold-embossed invitation to those who are passing through the capital of Massachusetts.
To the lengthy list of iconic football stadiums which Scotland supporters have visited down the years, the name of baseball’s most revered venue can be added.
Still on a high after witnessing a nerve-shredding victory over Haiti on Saturday evening, up to 10,000 members of the Tartan Army continued the party by taking in the quintessential American game.
Scotland fans led a march to Fenway Park before taking in a Boston Red Sox game
The result, a 6-4 defeat for the Sox, didn’t even merit a mention from those taking time out of their day to excitedly call Boston WBZ.
The only topic of discussion was the bonhomie of these strangers in kilts, their songs, their accents, their industrial-scale consumption of weak beer. The locals had never seen anything like it. And they loved it.
For all that much of the build-up to this tournament has left a bad taste in the mouth, such sights and sounds are cathartic.
These are the things Bostonians will remember long after the circus has left town. They leave a mark more indelible than the score in a soccer match in which many have no interest.
There weren’t just Scots in the crowd. There were Haitians and some Norwegians and Iraqis, who also hoped to see a home run hit ahead of their Group I clash.
People from across the globe conversing and partying, united by their love of sport, forgetting all their troubles for a while.
It’s right to be cynical about FIFA’s 48-team money-making machine and to be outraged about how disenfranchised so many supporters now are because of such naked greed.
Yet there’s still something wondrous about this quadrennial jamboree which has fans passing each other in airports, passing pitchers to each other in bars, learning each other’s chants, swapping shirts, taking in ball games together and living joyfully in the moment.
Scotland fans make their presence felt as they waved flags en route to see the ball game
For all the governing body have attempted to take the title deeds away, it remains the people’s game, and it will stay that way.
As palpable at Fenway Park as it’s been at any of the matches across three countries, the spirit of the World Cup endures.
‘You don’t need to be on social media to see it,’ said Scotland assistant manager Steven Naismith of the Tartan Army’s invasion. ‘We have seen how amazing a country we are. We have embraced it. We want to be part of that experience.
‘The last three or four days in Boston have been brilliant, seeing how many Scottish fans are there. On top of that, every local you speak to in Boston only has good things to say about us. It’s amazing. Long may it continue.’
Having spent 28 years with their noses pressed up against the glass, they came to party regardless. But nothing keeps the spirits at the optimum level quite like a win.
Steve Clarke hadn’t managed one in six attempts at successive Euros. Only those supporters who could recall the final game with Switzerland at Euro ‘96 could confirm that Scotland did once win at a major tournament.
Prior to facing Haiti, the national team hadn’t won a World Cup match since the clash with Sweden at Italia ‘90. Little wonder few were grumbling about a display which left much to be desired. Which is not to say that there’s no grounds for improvement.
‘If you strip it all back, it’s all about winning, simple as that,’ added Naismith. ‘But when you’ve got elite players and a group that have been so successful, you demand more. You demand a performance. You demand scoring goals, defending clean sheets and getting assists.
Scotland assistant coach Steven Naismith says the squad are proud of their passionate fans
‘That extra demand is always going to be there. But if we are sitting here after three games and we’ve got the points to win the group or be second or qualify, nobody is going to be complaining.’
It goes without saying that Morocco represents a step-up in class. Although Clarke’s defence did all that was asked of them against Haiti, the men from the Caribbean lacked punch in the final third.
The North Africans will ask more questions. Just ask Brazil, who they matched in New Jersey.
Semi-finalists at the last World Cup, Morocco are still smarting from losing the final of the AFCON to Senegal, even though the result has since been overturned and is now subject to appeal.
‘Some aspects we need to improve, some other aspects we just need to stay where we are because we have been brilliant,’ offered Naismith.
‘The games are different. Each opponent has different threats. Haiti on the counter-attack are lightning quick and really direct. They got a few counter attacks against us, but in terms of massive chances, defensively we were solid.
‘Morocco have a way of playing. They have intelligent and athletic players who are all over you and they are top quality.
‘You need to guard against that. We probably need to improve the initial controlling of the game. That isn’t just the opposition, it’s the heat and the intensity of the game.’
The expectation is that Clarke will shelve the 4-4-2 which ultimately got the job done last weekend. An additional midfielder, probably Ryan Christie, for a striker, probably Lawrence Shankland, feels like the smart play.
Haiti was must-win. The aim against Morocco is simply not to lose. If Scotland can pull it off and move onto four points, incredibly, they’d be as good as through to the last 32 prior to facing Brazil.
While it would be folly to load the sandbags and defend deep, caution is surely the watchword.
‘No matter what we do in any game, a good chunk of fans understand it and are realistic,’ Naismith said.
‘There are another set of fans, or people watching, who think we should play a certain way and dominate games regardless of the opposition. That we should never change.
‘But when you’re actually in it — and I’ve had some experience of being a manager — it’s totally different.
‘I was the same as a player coming to the end, thinking “why are we doing this, we should be doing that”. But it’s nothing like what’s perceived on the sidelines.
‘And, ultimately, we’ll do what’s best for us and what we think will get us as many points as we can. We have a squad of really good players.’
