Uruguay head coach Diego Forlán held a phone conversation with Fernando Muslera before finalising the squad for the latest FIFA window. The veteran goalkeeper, who started all three matches at the 2026 World Cup, informed the manager he was not available for selection this time.
Muslera, whose last appearance for La Celeste was against Spain at the World Cup, cited a lack of upcoming competitions and limited playing time prospects at club level as his reasons. Forlán appreciated the call. "He is a goalkeeper who made history and a great friend," the coach said at a press conference on Tuesday. "It was important to know what his situation was and, if he had been in condition to be called up, I would have taken him into account."
A sensitive goalkeeping situation
The talk took place during a complicated period for Uruguay's goalkeeping department. Sergio Rochet, who seemed to have recovered, suffered a recurrence of his injury. Franco Israel is also sidelined. Meanwhile, Santiago Mele has not been getting regular minutes with his club, logging only 45 minutes of action over the last two months. "It's a sensitive situation," Forlán admitted. "Rochet appears to have relapsed with his injury again."
Faced with this scenario, the technical staff's goal for the October window was clear: evaluate alternatives for the future. Forlán called up three goalkeepers for the friendlies against Japan, South Korea, and India, aiming to give them game time and assess them in action.
Positive assessment of the tests
The experiment, according to the manager's analysis, was satisfactory. Santiago Mele played against Japan, Cristopher Fiermarín featured against South Korea, and Thiago Cardozo got his chance in the 6-1 thrashing of India on October 6. That result, with goals from Darwin Núñez, Maximiliano Araujo (two), Rodrigo Zalazar, Javier Sanabria, and Rodrigo Aguirre, closed a window with two consecutive wins after the initial defeat to Japan. La Celeste now has two wins in a row, part of a positive run of three victories in their last five matches, a fact you can explore in our stats section.
The team showed notable offensive power, scoring ten goals across the last two matches. In the 4-1 win over South Korea, Núñez, with a brace, and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who scored one and assisted another, stood out. Forlán and his staff now focus on analysing the performance of all the called-up players, including the three tested goalkeepers, to define the path towards the next official competitions. Uruguay's next squad announcement is expected for the upcoming international break.
First reported at ESPN Deportes
