There are two tournaments running simultaneously in the United States this summer. One of them Scotland are winning.
The pattern is established enough to constitute evidence. At France 1998, Scotland's supporters were widely documented as among the most warmly received in the host country, this during a group stage that produced one point from three games. At Japan and Korea in 2002, Scotland were absent from the tournament but present in the cultural commentary — the Tartan Army's previous editions had set a benchmark that other supporters were measured against. The template is not new. What is new is the scale of the current iteration.
In Miami, the warmth towards Scottish supporters at Marlins Park has been documented in multiple reports. The Tartan Army has been praised across host cities. These are not anecdotes. They are a consistent signal from a consistent source, and the record notes them accordingly.
The specific evidence from Miami includes one Billy Gilmour being mentioned in the same sentence as romance, which is duly filed without further comment, and the confirmed existence and consumption of a mince and tattie hot dog. Both items are verifiable. Both items belong to this ledger.
What the ledger also contains: Scotland have three points from two Group C matches. One win, against Haiti. One defeat, to Morocco, settled by a goal scored in the official second minute — roughly seventy seconds of elapsed time — from a position created partly by a defensive lapse. Morocco held approximately 78% possession in the first half. Scotland face Brazil at Hard Rock Stadium on 24 June.
The goodwill is real. The Tartan Army has earned it through consistent, demonstrable conduct across multiple tournaments spanning nearly three decades. The affection is not manufactured and it is not undeserved. It is also, and this requires no editorial emphasis to observe, a separate accounting system from the one Group C runs on.
Goal difference does not respond to warmth. Points are not adjusted for charm. The two ledgers have never, in nine World Cup appearances, been reconciled into a single column that reads qualification for the knockout stage.
The Disaster Index records the gap between the columns at 3.1. This is not a verdict. It is a measurement. The measurement will be updated after 24 June.