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Heading into the final week of its regular season, already eliminated from playoff contention, the Chicago Red Stars had virtually nothing to play for.

But with two wins—Philadelphia Independence on Wednesday; Washington Freedom on Sunday—the Red Stars, without leading scorer Ella Masar, showed their grit, determination and pride, spoiling the chances of two teams fighting for playoff positioning.

Without Masar, someone needed to step up. That role was gladly taken by recent pickup Veronica Boquete.

Boquete joined the Red Stars on Aug. 7 after leading her former club Buffalo Flash to the 2010 W-League Title with a brace to drop the Vancouver Whitecaps, 3-1.

“What I saw in her was her ability to hold the ball up top, under pressure, and be able to bring other players into play,” said Namazi of Boquete’s play while in the W-League. “Additionally, I felt she is both clever on the dribble and also clever with her final pass—something that we were in desperate need of.

“Her unselfish running off the ball also creates opportunities for her and others on the team,” Namazi concluded.

And when she was rewarded with minutes last week, she showed that Namazi was right with his assessment.

In two starts the Spanish national striker netted the game-winning goal in the 2-0 win over Philadelphia, and had a pair of helpers in a 2-1 win over Washington on Sunday.

“She has come in and fit in right away with the rest of the group,” said Namazi. “She has worked hard in both games, and it’s shown both in the team results, as well as her own statistical output.”

For Boquete’s accomplishments, she has been awarded the Week 21 WPS top player. Also receiving consideration for top dog last week was Meghann Burke, who helped shut down Gold Pride (1-1 on Wednesday) and Atlanta (0-0 on Sunday) combining for 11 saves while keeping her Sky Blue FC club in the playoff hunt going into the final week of regular season play.

For more on Women’s Professional Soccer, visit Goal.com’s WPS page and join Goal.com USA’s Facebook fan page

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)—Former Argentina footballer Francisco Varallo,
the last surviving player from the first World Cup in 1930, died on Monday at
the age of 100. His death in La Plata, Argentina, was confirmed by his former
Argentine club Gimnasia y Esgrima, which did not specify the cause of death.

Varallo played in the final between Uruguay and Argentina in Montevideo,
Uruguay—a match that Argentina famously lost 4-2.

Varallo began his career with the club Gimnasia y Esgrima, but made his mark
with Boca Juniors. He is Boca’s second-leading scorer with 194 goals, behind
only the club’s current striker Martin Palermo. Varallo was nicknamed
“Canoncito” (little canon) for his powerful shot.

LONDON (AP)—Player unrest at Manchester City remains a major challenge heading
into Sunday’s Premier League match at Sunderland, with striker Emmanuel Adebayor
threatening to leave after being dropped from the team.

City manager Roberto Mancini has been unable to satisfy the demands of all
his players following another offseason spending spree that exceeded 100 million
pounds ($154 million). Despite being key players in recent years, Craig Bellamy
and Stephen Ireland have already been forced out this month, while goalkeeper
Shay Given has also lost his starting spot.

The 26-year-old Adebayor is pushing for a transfer a year after his signing
from Arsenal was viewed as a major coup for a club that hasn’t won a major
trophy since 1976.

The former Togo striker played less than 10 minutes of City’s opening league
draw against Tottenham and watched the team produce an emphatic 3-0 victory over
Liverpool without him.

Asked if he would fight for his place in the team, Adebayor told Talk Sport
radio: “If you’re not playing and there is a team that comes in for me then
definitely I will be on my way out because I am a footballer and I love
playing.”

“So if I don’t have a chance to play here probably there will be a lot of
chance(s) to play somewhere else,” Adebayor added. “I want to stay here and
play, but if they force you out then you always have to follow your destiny.”

While the transfer window closes on Tuesday, City football administrator
Brian Marwood warned Adebayor to “remain professional” and honor his contract.

Although the season is only two games old, City is already in the top four,
where it hopes to end the season.

The teams above City—Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United—are in
action before them on Saturday.

Chelsea kicked its title defense with 6-0 routs of West Bromwich Albion and
Wigan to lead the standings by two points. And Stoke, the visitors to Stamford
Bridge on Saturday, were routed 7-0 in April.

Brazil midfielder Ramires is set for a place on the bench as the 17 million
pound ($26 million) recruit from Benfica looks to make his debut. He is
realistic about his chances of getting a regular place in a midfield which
includes John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien and Frank Lampard.

“I’ll just have to work hard, be patient and see what happens as I try to
become a first-team player,” the 23-year-old Ramires said.

Second-place Arsenal also produced a 6-0 rout last weekend, although the
trip to Blackburn will be far tougher than a match against newcomer Blackpool.

The game may come too soon for new signing Sebastien Squillaci, but the
Frenchman is ready to embrace the physicality of the Premier League.

“I am 30 and I have a bit of experience—now I am going to discover a new
league,” the former Sevilla defender said. “I do like the duels. I feel it is
one of my qualities and here in England there are many duels and it is good to
be able to respond physically.”

Manchester United will host West Ham looking to recover from Sunday’s
setback at Fulham, when the 18-time champions conceded a late equalizer after
Nani missed a penalty.

Confidence is high at Tottenham, which plays Wigan on Saturday after beating
Young Boys 4-0 to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

Having dropped out of the top four last season at Tottenham’s expense,
Liverpool is still without a win in the new campaign—collecting just one point
from a possible six.

West Brom, though, should prove to be less challenging opponents than
Arsenal and Manchester City.

Liverpool’s preparations have been boosted by forward Dirk Kuyt committing
his future to the club as Javier Mascherano prepared to join Barcelona.

While Liverpool qualified for the group stage of the Europa League on
Thursday, Aston Villa lost its playoff, piling the pressure on interim manager
Kevin MacDonald going into Sunday’s home match against Everton.

“With the uncertainty of the manager (situation), it is difficult,” Villa
captain Villa Stiliyan Petrov said. “It would be nice to see who is going to be
appointed.”

Also on Saturday, Blackpool plays its first home match in the Premier League
when Fulham travels to the northwest, while Newcastle, which beat Villa 6-0 on
Sunday, goes to Wolverhampton.

On Sunday, Bolton and Birmingham, who have both won one and drawn one, meet
at the Reebok Stadium.

MEXICO CITY, Aug 13 (Reuters) – A player and team doctor
from a Mexican second division side have been handed doping
bans, the Mexican Football Federation said on Friday.

Jose Antonio Garcia of Pumas Morelos will serve a six-month
ban retroactive from April 24 after testing positive for a
banned stimulant.

Team doctor Armando Ramadan was suspended for a year from
Friday as the man responsible for the players’ fitness.
(Reporting by Rex Gowar in Buenos Aires; Editing by Peter
Rutherford; to query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

CHELSEA

Hilario – 6: Didn’t have a great deal to do during the game and could do nothing to stop Valencia’s goal, as he was left exposed by his back-four.

Ivanovic – 6: Deployed at his preferred position in central defence, the Serb performed his duties relatively well and even offered a threat down the other end with some towering headers at goal. Was exposed however when his side chased the game.

Terry – 5.5: Caught out with his defensive partner to allow Rooney to run behind him to provide the cross for the first goal. And looked all at sea at times during a second half when play was stretched and he had little cover in front of him.

Ferreira – 6.0: Solid and disciplined down his flank as usual, but did lack the chemistry with Kalou in front of him to offer anything on the overlap.

Cole – 5.5: Couldn’t deal with Valencia in a poor first half and let the Ecuadorian behind him for the Red Devil’s second. Conceded too much space to allow dangerous crosses to trouble his defensive partners in the box.

Essien – 6.0: Guilty of allowing the opposition midfield an easy time of it with his lack of pressing or closing down. Wasn’t very successful in the final-third either and looks pre-season rusty.

Lampard – 5.5: Sat deeper in midfield next to Mikel this game and wasn’t entirely successful in that role as he was clearly outshone by the opposition ball-players. Looks to be still shaking off the ghost of a poor World Cup.

Mikel – 5.0: You know what you get with a Jon Obi Mikel performance and this game he patrolled the usual rectangle area in the centre of the pitch and didn’t stray from it. Could and should have been more aggressive in closing down the space around the United midfield. Hooked after 60 minutes.

Kalou – 7.0: One of the more lively Chelsea players on the day, some direct running and decent dribbling caught the eye but he wasn’t being helped much by his attacking partners. Scored a well taken goal to give his side some hope late in the second half.

Anelka – 5.0: Seemed to run around on his own, disconnected from play with the rest of his teammates during the hour he was on the pitch. Didn’t look like a threat at all before being replaced by Sturridge.

Malouda – 6.5: As has become the norm in the last couple of seasons at Stamford Bridge, looked one of the Blues’ most dangerous players in the game but can’t do it all on his own. Tried to rally his side in the second period with direct play to little effect.

Substitutes:

Drogba – 5.5: Brought on in the second-half the Ivorian was periphary to proceedings for most of the time he was played and is another Chelsea player that needs to work into form after tiring international exploits during the summer.

Sturridge – 6.0: Found it hard to get into the game when he was introduced as Mancheser United defended in numbers.

Benayoun – 6.0: Given a competitive cameo but couldn’t find a way to draw his side level.

Zhirkov – N/A

Bruma – N/A

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van Der Sar – 7.5: World class save in the first half to deny a close range Ivanovic header and then produced a number of stops to deny the Blues in the second. Tried to deny Kalou but his parry fell straight back at the feet of the Ivorian and his goalmouth was finally breached.

O’Shea – 6.0: Put his side in danger early in the game when he lost the ball and was left for dead by Anelka’s pace. Generally solid after that.

Vidic – 7.0: Very dominating in the air as ever but did have some tricky moments with Malouda’s trickery over the turf. Had to stem a Chelsea tide late in the game and did this well.

Evans – 6.5: Dealt with the Chelsea threat well and formed a solid wall with his Serbian defensive partner.

Fabio – 6.5: One of the rare occasions the Brazilian was selected to start in a big competitive encounter, the youngster made sure he was defensively solid first and foremost and was generally successful in dealing with Kalou on his flank. Taken off for Smalling.

Valencia – 8.0: Frequently employed down his right flank to stretch play and put Chelsea on the back-foot and this he certainly did as Cole had a hard time dealing with him. Left the England international chasing shadows at times and provided the first goal and an assist.

Scholes – 7.5: Would have enjoyed the first half as he was given ample time and space to look up and dictate the movement of the ball around the field. Generally rolled back the years in the second half of the game as well, delivering some spectacular passes.

Carrick – 6.5: Kept things ticking over with simple distribution of the ball during the match, didn’t try many Hollywood-style passes which ensured his side didn’t lose possession needlessly.

Park – 5.5: Quiet from the Korean who didn’t show his usual work-rate and harrying. There is more to Park’s game than that, but he didn’t show much of that either. Quiet game.

Owen – 5.5: Quiet first half as he lurked deep in the opposition half, conserving his energy to try and break from the shoulder of the Chelsea back-line. Replaced at half-time.

Rooney – 6.5: Quiet game until he latched onto an excellent Scholes lofted ball and produced a dream squared pass to Valencia who was only too happy to gobble it up and smash it into the back of the net. Given a rest after 45 minutes.

Substitutes:

Nani – 6.0: Given a 45-minute run out and looked impressive in spurts. Still needs to work into the excellent form at the end of last season.

Javier Hernandez – 7.0: Mexican starlet has caught the eye during pre-season with his ability to find the back of the net and continued that in this game when he was brought on at half-time, scoring United’s second. Seems to have taken to playing for the Red Devil’s like a duck to water. Good movement and continues to look very promising.

Berbatov – 7.0: Some good link up with Nani and Chicharito and displayed his usual excellent touch and control during the match. Sublime lob for the third goal capped off a great day for his side.

Smalling – 6.5: Came on for Fabio late on and didn’t put a foot wrong.

Giggs – N/A

Fletcher – N/A

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