THEY'D BE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IF HE HADN'T BEEN HURT:

Rodgers ready to build new-look Liverpool around returning Brazilian midfielder Lucas  (DOMINIC KING, 21 July 2012, Daily Mail)

It was no surprise Liverpool's results dipped when he was out of the team last season and Rodgers is in no doubt how much the young man from Porto Alegre will offer. 


'I have only been at the club a short period of time and when I arrived, people told me how special he was as a player and how special a character he is,' said Rodgers. 


'But he is even better than that. When you meet him in real life, you see how hard he works. 


'The injury he had should have kept him out for nine months but he is back two months early. You can only do that through two things – determination and hard work. He is the ultimate professional and he is going to be a brilliant player in my career here. 


'I am just looking forward to seeing him back fully fit. But I know that every day he is fighting hard to get there. Not only is he a top footballer but he is a top guy as well. He is doing fantastic at this stage of his recuperation.' 




To hear Rodgers speak so endearingly made it impossible not to think about the journey Lucas has been on. 
Not so long ago, he was a figure derided by the Kop, one who was booed during a game against Fulham.  


It would have been easy to give in but, instead, he kept fighting. After winning the club's Young Player of the Year award in 2010, he was almost sold after Rafa Benitez was sacked but, again, he knuckled down to be name the club's Player of the Year in 2011 and last season he was playing the best football of his career before injury struck.

SURE THEY'RE YOUNG, BUT ROWE AND FAGUNDEZ HAVE TO BE STARTERS:

Revolution 2 - 2 Sounders: Diego Plays the Hero, Salvages a Point in Stoppage Time (Corey E. Major, Jun 30, 2012, Bent Musket)

Eddie Johnson would soon spoil the Revs' party, however, as he netted a brace-both headers-in the ensuing 20 or so minutes. Johnson was a nuisance to the Revolution back-line all night, and frustrations were clear by the end of the match, particularly after Stephen McCarthy's beautiful tackle in the box to stop the former US International from potentially tallying himself a hat-trick.


The Revs were forced to throw everything at Seattle by the end, subbing in playmakers Kelyn Rowe, Fernando Cardenas, and Diego Fagundez in the hopes that at least one would provide a spark (Fagundez was even subbed in for Florian Lechner, moving the Revs to a 3-man back-line). It did end up being Fagundez who provided that desired spark, scoring a goal off of a Cardenas cross into the box with the very last moment of action in the game. "When you're losing," Fagundez said, "the first thing you think is ‘let's go forward and let's try scoring.' So, going in in the 81st minute, I was thinking ‘we need to score.' So, I just gave it all I had."