Román Torres was a notable absence from the Seattle Sounders’ 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers on Wednesday. Using a mostly second-choice lineup for the preseason affair, Jordy Delem started at centerback alongside Jonathan Campbell. Torres has not been with the Sounders since earlier this week when he returned to Seattle for unspecified reasons.

Asked about Torres’ absence for the first time, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer did not suggest any sort of move was imminent.

“It’s normal course of business for preseason,” he said after the loss to the Timbers. “Players come and go. We will see Roman in Seattle and there’s no big issue as far as we’re concerned.”

That hasn’t necessarily stopped speculation that Torres is on his way out, or that he might be unhappy with serving as more of a backup. FC Cincinnati, the LA Galaxy and LAFC are all teams that are reportedly interested in Torres.