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"Frustrating as hell."

That's just one catchy phrase Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber used in a teleconference call Wednesday afternoon with national media on the heels of controversial comments made by U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann earlier this week.

Prior to a friendly against Honduras Tuesday in Boca Raton, Fla., Klinsmann, now in his fourth season as head coach of the USMNT, said he's worried moves back to MLS by some of the country's more high-profile players — particularly midfielder Michael Bradley and forward Clint Dempsey — wouldn't allow them to maintain the same level of play as opposed to staying in Europe.

"There's nothing I can do about it," Klinsmann told reporters, as evidenced by the story from Simon Evans of Reuters. "I made it clear with Clint's move back and Michael's move back that it's going to be very difficult to keep the same level that that they experienced at the places where they were. It's just reality. It's just being honest."

Dempsey returned to MLS from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur last August and Bradley solidified his move back to the league in January transferring from Serie A club AS Roma to Toronto FC.

On Wednesday afternoon, Garber, in his 19th year as commissioner of MLS, sounded off on Klinsmann's remarks saying the comments "are very, very detrimental to the league" as well as the sport of soccer in the U.S.

"I will do anything and everything to defend our league, our players and our owners," Garber said. "I don't believe anyone is above the sport and I believe everybody needs to be accountable for their behavior. Whether it's a commissioner, whether it's an owner, whether it's an athlete, whether it's a national team coach."

Clearly fired up by Klinsmann's comments, a running theme of Garber's conference call was how MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation must maintain a similar "vision" and "partnership" for growing soccer in America. Garber added MLS and the USSF have "probably the most successful parternship between any league and any federation in football in the world."

"When we have a national team coach that, in essence, is telling players that when we sign with our league that it is not going to be good for their career, their frankly not going to be perceived well by the national team coach, who is selecting the U.S. national team is incredibly damaging to our league," he said.

Klinsmann took aim at Bradley and Dempsey Tuesday by again noting that MLS is a step down for players of their caliber.

"The league is getting better and strong every year which we are all very proud about, and I want everyone to grow in this environment," Klinsmann said. "But the reality also is that for both players, making that step means that you are not competitive environment that you were in before."

Garber said Klinsmann didn't need to use a "global media platform" to criticize Bradley and Dempsey. He also mentioned for the first time publicly that MLS and USMNT star Landon Donovan — who played his final U.S. game last week — should have been included on the World Cup roster for Brazil.

"I think [Klinsmann] needs to think very, very hard about how he manages himself publicly and how he deals with his view as to how we should motivate players that are playing in our league," Garber said.

Garber said he sent a "very strong letter" to USSF President Sunil Gulati yesterday, as did a number of MLS board members. He added that he sent a note to Klinsmann, but has yet to speak to him. Garber said he's had a "very good relationship" with Klinsmann, which is why he was left shocked over the comments made Tuesday and even spent a few hours with him a few days ago.

"I am just demanding that he refrain from making comments that are critical of our players and damaging to our league," Garber said.

—Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani