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Jermaine Jones says his critics are like those who hate Tom Brady

Allen Chapman, Jermaine Jones, Cristian Techera

LA Galaxy’s Jermaine Jones reacts to receiving a yellow card from referee Allen Chapman for a tackle of Vancouver Whitecaps’ Cristian Techera, right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

AP

Whether you love him, loathe him, or exist somewhere in between, it’s difficult to call Jermaine Jones anything but interesting.

The LA Galaxy and USMNT man spoke out again on Monday, largely because some asked him. Jones was a guest on an ESPN podcast and spilled his guts on his American soccer perception.

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The comments were colorful, as usual for Jones, with the midfielder harboring hopes for a 2018 World Cup spot and wondering why American fans don’t his strong European record with the same respect proffered to Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey.

Part of that could be down to Howard and Dempsey thriving in the Premier League while Jones got less U.S. TV time operating in Germany aside from short spells at Blackburn and Besiktas.

Debate those thoughts all you like, but we gravitated to his self-comparison to NFL star Tom Brady. Jones is fine with being hated like the Super Bowl-winning QB.

“That is normal. I respect that it is the kind of sport, you know. You have to get hated. If I look in football, look how many people hate Tom Brady, but he is out there and he balling, he gets the championship year for year.

“End of the day, if somebody hates you, that is what i learned from one coach. If they hate you, end of the day, they hate you because they are scared of you.”

Follow @NicholasMendola