Cachavacha is back: Diego Forlan opens Uruguay dugout era in beloved Japan

Cachavacha is back. Diego Forlan, a one-time legend of Uruguayan football, sat before cameras in Miyagi wearing the sky-blue shirt of the national team. He did not come as a former striker revisiting Japan, where he once played for Cerezo Osaka. Forlan is now Uruguay's interim head coach for the friendly against Japan. His smile was relaxed, but his words were not. "We have an obligation to win," Forlan told reporters. "We Uruguayans always have an obligation to win. Winning is what we love most." I came to Euro 2026 with a pen and left with a terrace in my heart. Watching Forlan sit there, I realised that feeling remains intact; only the pen is now in his hands. The match in Miyagi is more than a debut. It is Uruguay's first match after a group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup, a shock for a team that has won the World Cup twice. The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) chose an internal solution instead of hiring a big-name coach from outside. Forlan, currently coaching the U-20 side, was given the added role of interim senior head coach. He clarified his contractual situation: the senior role is temporary, while his U-20 contract remains unchanged. This arrangement suggests AUF wants flexibility while it waits to make a long-term decision, limiting risk if results do not meet expectations. Tactically, Forlan's press conference revealed little detail. He spoke of a balanced squad with ball control, goalscorers and solid defenders, but did not mention a formation, pressing strategy or approach without the ball. In a friendly, this caution is understandable, as coaches rarely reveal their plans. But it also raises a question about the tactical preparation of a coach stepping up to national-team level. The match against Japan will expose the real answer. One notable detail in the squad list: Federico Valverde, Uruguay's most important midfielder, is absent due to injury. Emiliano Martinez, a Uruguayan midfielder, has been called up as a replacement. It should be made clear that this is Uruguay's Emiliano Martinez, not the Argentine goalkeeper of the same name. Valverde's absence significantly changes the midfield dynamic. He provides mobility, long-range shooting and rhythm that no current squad member can replicate. Facing a Japan side built around Europe-based players, lacking that catalyst makes Uruguay more vulnerable to being controlled. Still, Forlan chose a positive outlook: the squad still has quality players, and this friendly is a chance to test squad depth. The biggest message from the press conference was Forlan's choice of language. The phrase "obligation to win" appeared repeatedly. It is a message aimed at fans, media and the dressing room. A new coach usually lowers expectations in his first match. Forlan did the opposite. He placed pressure on himself. From a team psychology standpoint, this shows a man who understands the weight of the seat he occupies. He did not come to ease into the job. He came to win. But winning in modern football does not come from a phrase. It comes from detail in attacking moves, discipline in defence and the coaching staff's ability to read the game. Forlan carries a dual role rarely seen among recent Uruguayan coaches: leading the U-20 team in the South American Championship and serving as interim senior coach. This creates a rare bridge between the youth ranks and the national team. He can watch young players in competitive environments and promote them to the senior side when needed. That can save time and create consistency in the development philosophy. But it also carries fixture risk. If the U-20 tournament clashes with a senior international window, Forlan will have to split his focus between two fronts. AUF appears to have accepted this, as Forlan confirmed his contract has been clarified. Still, a congested calendar is a real risk to monitor. More broadly, this friendly is a test of nerve. Uruguay arrive in Miyagi with a rotated squad, without their biggest star, under a coach who has never worked at senior national level. Japan have a strong Europe-based core, play at home and carry no pressure. If Uruguay get a positive result in that context, it would be a genuine signal about squad depth and spirit. If they lose, the result should not be over-read because of the transitional context. The hardest part for an interim coach is being judged on one or two matches when he needs a full cycle to build a team. Japan today are a different version of the opponent Uruguay have met in the past. Their Europe-based players have become the backbone of the squad. Their pressing, transition play and game management reflect a football culture that has learned from the top leagues. Forlan praised the opponent, describing them as a team with many top-level European-based talents. That was not empty diplomacy. A friendly against Japan is a suitable test for a rebuilding side, because it forces the defensive system to face mobility and tactical discipline from a very different football culture. Uruguay have always been one of South America's top three powers, but Brazil and Argentina are far ahead in resources. With a small population, Uruguay relies on exporting players to Europe. That creates quality, but also volatility in every international window. Stars travel thousands of kilometres, schedules pile up and clubs never want to release players. Valverde's absence is a direct example. Forlan's challenge, therefore, is to build a team that does not depend on any single individual, no matter how good that individual is. This friendly is also a personnel audit. For an interim coach, such matches are often used to test young players preparing for the next cycle. Forlan, with his U-20 role, has a rare advantage: he already knows which players are emerging from the youth ranks. Combining U-20 knowledge with senior-team authority could shorten Uruguay's generational transition. But it also forces him to prove he is willing to give young players chances, rather than relying only on familiar names. From my experience following matches, I have learned that friendlies after a disappointing World Cup rarely reflect a team's true level. I have seen sides labelled as crisis-hit win easily in friendlies and then collapse in qualifying, and vice versa. The life of an interim coach depends on competitive matches, where there is no room for experiments. The match against Japan, therefore, should be seen as a health check for the whole system. The result tells part of the story; the way the team functions tells the rest. Media pressure around Forlan is another story. The "Cachavacha is back" narrative carries strong emotional appeal in two markets: Japan, where he left his mark at Cerezo Osaka, and Uruguay, where he is part of the 2026 World Cup memory. Japanese media and the local football marketing machine will likely use the nostalgia angle to build interest in the match. That is good for fans, but it can hide a reality: Forlan is entering a harsh learning journey, where reputation will not protect him from poor decisions on the bench. In the dressing room, the story is even more complex. Forlan needs trust from players who watched him play when they were children. Reputation gives him a good start, but respect comes only when players see a clear plan. The "obligation to win" message is his way of claiming authority. It signals that no friendly is meaningless, no moment is for relaxation. For a team hurt by a World Cup exit, that may be the necessary message. For a dressing room full of Europe-based players, it may also be questioned if it is not backed by daily specificity. One detail in Goal.com's article needs verification: Uruguay's group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup. If that event has indeed happened, the timeline sits after the World Cup, and the Japan friendly marks the start of a new cycle. I still keep my two-verification habit before treating any information as an official milestone. The lesson from World Cup 2026 is simple: ears always come before the pen. That night in Kazan, after the 2-3 loss to Belgium, I stood in the mixed zone with a list of questions but did not understand the pressing of the team I was following. From then on, every detail had to be checked twice before I spoke. What makes me pause in this whole story is the distance between reputation and coaching ability. Cachavacha is a beautiful nickname, but the coach's seat grants no trophies for a player's past. Football history is full of legends who could not replicate success as managers. That does not mean Forlan will fail. But it does mean fans and media should separate two stories. One story is about an icon returning home. The other is about a young coach, at 47, getting used to the most intense pressure of his career. This friendly is a chance to look at the second story. If we only look through nostalgia, we will miss emerging tactical signals. If we only look at the result, we will not see whether Forlan truly controls the dressing room. In 2026, when stadiums went silent and tweets clapped one by one, I learned that football communities never stand still. They are always waiting for a story to believe. Forlan is at the centre of such a story, and he needs to prove that his pen, at this moment, writes more than memories. The real test for Forlan is not in Miyagi. It is in the next qualifying round, where matches with points will decide the fate of his interim seat. I will watch the Japan game with my ears wide open, note every moment, and wait to see whether the interim chair becomes a permanent one. The drumbeat does not rest with the referee; it rests with the breath of the fans. Forlan once made a whole stand breathe his way. As a coach, he needs to do it again, not with goals on the pitch, but in the hearts of those who believe in the sky-blue shirt.