MLS talking points: The players fans most love to hate

In the spirit of Rivalry Week, ESPN FC wanted to explore players who have developed something of a rivalry around the league. So we asked Jeff Carlisle, Doug McIntyre, Jason Davis and Graham Parker to nominate the players that fans most love to hate -- but would gladly embrace if they were in their own team.

Nigel de Jong | LA Galaxy

Every team has their hatchet man or, in the case of the LA Galaxy, their lawnmower.

Nigel de Jong has done plenty to reinforce his reputation as an uncompromising -- some would say dirty -- tackler since arriving in MLS this season. His challenge on Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe in April earned him a three-game suspension and the enduring enmity of Timbers fans everywhere. He later earned another suspension, this time for two matches, for a foul on Vancouver Whitecaps forward Blas Perez.

Of course, De Jong's rap sheet extends far back into his career, as witnessed by the tackles that inflicted broken legs on the likes of Stuart Holden and Hatem Ben Arfa. His karate kick on Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World Cup final has been burned into the memory of soccer fans the world over.

But as much as De Jong plays on the edge, he has put together a quietly effective season for the Galaxy. His play as a holding midfielder has helped solidify a Galaxy defense that, as of this writing, has conceded the second-fewest goals (26) in MLS. His 87 percent pass-completion percentage -- the highest on the team -- speaks to his tidy play on the attacking side of the ball.

MLS is a league with more than a few standout holding midfielders, and without question there are moments where De Jong crosses the line. But his experience, passing and yes, tough defense, make him a player that just about every team would love to have.

-- Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle)

Marco Donadel | Montreal Impact

No MLS player picked up more yellow cards last season than the Montreal Impact's Marco Donadel, but the 13 cautions (and two reds) that the Italian midfielder amassed in 2015 were not statistics he was proud of.

"So I spoke to a lot of referees," Donadel said, asking them how he could stay in their good graces.

It worked.

So far this year, Donadel has just three bookings. Around MLS, 79 players have four or more.

This is not to say that the 33-year-old doesn't still get stuck in, he just has a better sense of how games are called. And for opponents, the hard-running, tactically advanced Donadel -- a veteran of seven Serie A clubs -- remains a nightmare to play against.

"He doesn't look super athletic, but he covers a lot of ground, gets in a lot of tackles," one Eastern Conference defender told ESPN FC. "And if you give him time on the ball, he has the vision and skill to rip you apart."

Mainly, though, Donadel is a defensive player. He is also a master of what he calls the "game in the game."

"Especially in the middle, it's a fight. Not only physically, but mentally," he said. "You're dead tired usually in the second half. When I'm tired, I try to find some personal fight, some way I can get some more adrenaline to push on."

That said, he still has no problem running afoul of the refs when necessary.

"I never take a yellow card because I want to hit someone," he said. Then he smiled. "But honestly, I do try to use this to wake up the team sometimes."

-- Doug McIntyre (@DougMacESPN)

Jermaine Jones | Colorado Rapids

Good players make you take notice, even if the ball isn't going through them or their team is struggling to be competitive as a whole. Not only do these players spark your interest, they make you hate them. There's no better example of this type of player in MLS than Colorado Rapids midfielder Jermaine Jones.

Ultracompetitive but skilled enough to impact games in more than just the most brutish ways, Jones' energy and near-reckless abandon make him the prototypical player that fans love to hate when he's lined up on the other side, but adore when he's playing for their team. Jones turned that dynamic into a living, breathing thing with his move to MLS a few years ago; with his club side, he's a challenge to play against and makes the blood boil with some of his overaggressive tendencies. With the national team, he's an indispensable two-way midfielder who makes his teammates better by his presence (while also occasionally causing anxiety with his overaggressive tendencies).

Jones rides the fine line between out of control and chaotically effective. That's his magic, but it's also why he can make opponents and fans so angry with his style. He gives off an air of complete disregard for anyone other than himself and his teammates, casting his choices in an exceedingly cruel light.

Why Jones does what he does doesn't always make sense, and as long as that lack of connect-the-dots logical progression eludes observers, he'll always be one of the easier players in the league to loathe -- while at the same time being easy to love when it's your team that benefits from his unforgiving edge.

-- Jason Davis (@davisjsn)

Felipe Martins | New York Red Bulls

He's not the biggest player, or even the most obviously aggressive player, but ask opponents of the New York Red Bulls who the player they most love to hate is, chances are they'll mention Felipe.