Portland Timbers captain Liam Ridgewell was dropped from the gameday 18-player roster by head coach Giovani Savarese ahead of Saturday afternoon's visit to FC Dallas.
Ridgewell, who has been with the Timbers since signing a Designated Player contract midway through the 2014 season, has been part of a defense that had conceded six goals in its first two matches in 2018. That included a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the New York Red Bulls two weeks ago, in which Ridgewell came under criticism for his play and level of effort.
A club spokesperson offered no comment on Savarese's decision. Ridgewell took to Twitter prior to the game Saturday to offer a brief message.
Ridgewell has made 86 league appearances for Portland, and helped the Timbers become the first Cascadia team to win the MLS Cup in 2015.
