Sadly, the form of Shankland and Adams against Curacao and Bolivia was something of a false dawn, and the results in Boston and Miami were all too familiar for Scotland, who were eliminated in the group stage, just as they had been in their previous eight World Cups and four European Championships.
Scotland's one goal in the tournament was a winner against Haiti, though it came from midfielder John McGinn via a deflection. Defeats by Morocco and Brazil without scoring prompted Clarke's resignation, and despite leading the Tartan Army to three tournaments, Scotland scored a total of four goals - three from the midfield, an own goal and zero from forwards.
Qualifying presented a similar story - Scotland scored 13 times in their six Group C matches, yet no player scored more than twice, with Adams the only striker among the three Scots to score more than once.
A new head coach has not yet been appointed, but regardless of the choice, a new era is beginning for Scotland just two years ahead of co-hosting UEFA EURO 2028. New eras mean chances for new players to stake their claim, especially in problem positions.
Which is why now is the time for Scotland to hunt for a new striker, and they should go hunting in Sweden.
The Scottish star in Sweden
Sweden's top flight, Allsvenskan, is quickly building a reputation for fairy tale stories. Last season, Mjallby shocked Europe by winning the league with a record points total having never previously won a major trophy in their history.
Normal service was expected to resume this season, with the top Stockholm and Gothenburg clubs likely to be the most likely to challenge Malmo for another title win.
However, with over a third of the April-November season played, Sirius are unbeaten and nine points clear of the chasing pack. Like Mjallby last year, the side from Uppsala have never won a major trophy but are on course to win one in great style.
Unsurprisingly, Sirius are also the top scorers in the division, and 12 of their 33 strikes in 12 matches have come from their centre-forward, Robbie Ure.
The 22-year-old is a product of the Rangers academy in his native Glasgow, making three appearances for the senior side and scoring once before heading to Belgium in September 2023 to sign for Anderlecht. In 18 months in Brussels, Ure made a solitary first-team appearance, but was a regular for the reserve team, RSCA Futures.
Clearly not afraid of stepping into unfamiliar leagues, Ure made the move to Sweden in March last year, in time for the 2025 Allsvenskan season in which he scored 11 league goals as Sirius finished ninth.
Another similar campaign for Sirius and Ure was expected in 2026, but Blasvart have blown the competition away thus far, with the Scotsman averaging a goal per game, eclipsing his 2025 tally before reaching the halfway mark. In all competitions, he has 17 goals and three assists in 2026.
Those numbers have reportedly attracted interest from Lecce in Serie A and even Lyon in Ligue 1, with Sirius said to be holding out for €10 million (£8.47m).
At 1.89m (6 foot 2 inches) tall, Ure is a real presence in the penalty box, and though he can use his aerial ability and be a real target man, there is much more to his game than that, as he proved in a recent 4-4 draw with Mjallby when he scored all four for his side.
Using his remarkable pace and power, he shrugged off challenges to chase a long ball over the top before keeping his composure to slot home his first. That coolness in front of goal was evident again for his second, before he showed a true striker's instinct for his third and fourth, getting across his man for one, and being in the right place at the right time for the other.
Is the Swedish league good enough?
The short answer, is yes.
According to the latest UEFA men's association coefficient, the Swedish league is the 18th best of the 55 in Europe. That may not sound especially high, but it has recently overtaken Scotland, which has fallen to 19th place.
In terms of league rankings, selecting Ure for the Scotland national team would be no different - arguably better - than calling-up the leading goalscorer in the Scottish Premiership, a league which eight of Clarke's 26-man squad for the World Cup played in last season.
Furthermore, Sweden picked three Allsvenskan players for their trip to North America, all of whom played their part in Graham Potter's side doing what Scotland couldn't: reach the Round of 32.
Ukraine calling?
While still at Rangers, Ure played five times for the Scotland under-19 side, scoring twice. But if the Tartan Army are ever to see him pull on the famous shirt for the senior side, they may have a tough time convincing the Sirius number nine.
Through his grandfather, Ure also qualifies to play for Ukraine, and earlier this year was reportedly in the process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, having had interest from the one-time World Cup quarter-finalists.
Nothing appears to have been decided just yet, if Ure's comments to Fotbollskanalen are anything to go by.
"To be honest, I have no idea what's going on right now. The interest is real and I know they're interested in me. Now I just have to wait and see what happens. I was scouted in Ukraine and I'm not stressed. I'm young and I'll be calm and see what happens. Last time they tried to get me a passport. But I don't know any more than you do," he said.
With Scotland and Ukraine set to return to action for the UEFA Nations League in September, there is no time like the present for Scotland to persue a Glasgow-born centre-forward in red-hot form.