What Exactly Happened Between Danny Musovski And RSL?

SALT LAKE CITY – RSL went through some midseason drama surrounding forward Danny Musovski and his time away from the team due to contract negotiation issues.

This left Real Salt Lake fans wondering what exactly happened.

Roster decisions announced for #RSL

Damir Kreilach and Julio Benitez have their contract options declined. Scott Caldwell and Danny Musovski are out of contract.

Per the release, discussions are ongoing with Damir and Nyeman for potential returns@kslsports | @realsaltlake pic.twitter.com/rBRmqQnwro

— RSL Show on KSL (@rslshow) November 17, 2023

Musovski said that after contract negotiations lost traction, he became more frustrated.

“We weren’t seeing things the same way,” Musovski said. “I feel like they did me wrong too many times. I’m a tolerable person and I let it slide. The more it kept going, the more I was frustrated.”

Musovski decided to sit out in hopes that it would cause the front office to realize his impact. He was adamant about wanting to stay with RSL and thought that sitting out could speed up the process of making a deal.

“I sat out initially to get them to take some action,” Musovski said. “I think that did the reverse. It made them even angrier and even more upset. That’s not what I intended. I actually just wanted to make it happen to be here.”

The moose is loose 🫎

Danny Musovski dunks on ’em for the #RSL equalizer. pic.twitter.com/zhprEAekw9

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023

This move, however, didn’t play out how Musovski had hoped. Negotiations between Musovski and the club continued to lose momentum.

Real Salt Lake general manager Elliot Fall gave his account of the whole situation.

“We had a long-running dialogue with Danny (Musovski) about a longer-term agreement,” Fall said. “We hadn’t been able to come to an agreement. Danny (Musovski) felt it was in his best interest to make a decision to step away at that time. He then came back and was a part of the group for the rest of the year. To his credit, a really positive contributing part of the group.”

Danny Musovski had a great year all things considered. He scored 9 goals across all competitions and was consistently one of the best playmakers for RSL.

It’s the Danny Musovski show!

Two goals in two minutes to put #RSL on top of Leon. #LeaguesCup2023 pic.twitter.com/xVnXnJELxg

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 5, 2023

He said that how things played out made him feel unwanted by the club.

“I’ve expressed to the front office that I want to be here,” Musovski said. “But, I don’t think they want me back.”

Fall said that he still has respect for Musovski as a professional and there are no hard feelings between the club and the Nevada native.

“We targeted Danny as a person we wanted to have here,” Fall said. “Sometimes these conversations can seem adversarial. It’s certainly nothing personal with Danny (Musovski). I have a lot of respect for him.”

Thank you, Danny, Scott, and Julio for everything you did for the club. We wish you all the best in the future!

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) November 17, 2023

These quotes from Musovski and Fall came from Real Salt Lake’s end-of-season interviews earlier this month.

It was later announced that Musovski would move on to his next club following the end of his contract.

How To Watch Real Salt Lake

All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.

All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.

Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports. 

Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.

Want more coverage like what happened between Danny Musovski and RSL? Take us with you, wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.