Óscar Villegas Opens Bolivia - Escocia With 16:00 Friendly in New Jersey
Bolivia - Escocia began at 16:00 Bolivian time on Saturday in New Jersey, opening a new process for Óscar Villegas and his team. The FIFA friendly also gave Bolivia a first test against Escocia, a side moving toward Group C at the World Cup and coming in after a 4-1 win over Curazao.
Villegas Opens New Process
Villegas led Bolivia into a new stage with this match, and the setup showed a team being built around a fresh cycle rather than a one-off exhibition. Bolivia is already looking toward the qualifying path to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, so this meeting carried more weight than a standard friendly.
Ramiro Vaca was unavailable for the match against Escocia, leaving Bolivia without one of the names listed around this squad. His absence also followed the same issue that kept him out against Algeria on June 10, forcing Bolivia to move forward without him as Villegas started his project.
Escocia Arrives After Curazao
Escocia came in sharper on paper after beating Curazao 4-1 in a preparation match. Steve Clarke’s side also had more immediate World Cup context, with Group C ahead against Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil.
That made the New Jersey meeting a useful checkpoint for both teams, but for different reasons. Bolivia wanted a clean start to a new process; Escocia wanted another competitive run before the tournament stage that follows.
Starting XIs In New Jersey
Bolivia’s lineup featured Guillermo Viscarra, Lucas Macazaga, Luis Haquin, Efraín Morales, Roberto Fernández, Ervin Vaca, Robson Tome, Gabriel Villamil, Miguel Terceros, Moisés Paniagua, and Leonardo Viviani. Escocia answered with Craig Gordon, Anthony Ralston, Luke Graham, Andy Robertson, Jack Hendry, Grant Hanley, Kenny McLean, Tyler Fletcher, George Hirst, Ryan Christie, and Lyndon Dykes.
Billy Gilmour did not make Escocia’s side after a serious knee injury in the friendly against Curazao, so Clarke had to adjust without him. Bolivia, meanwhile, used the date and the opponent to begin a cycle that is tied directly to the road toward 2030.
