HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, August 3, 2022) – Real Salt Lake has acquired 26-year-old FW Danny Musovski from Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) in exchange for $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) divided across 2022 ($150,000) and 2023 ($100,000). Should various performance and/or contractual milestones be reached by Musovski with Real Salt Lake, additional GAM will be relayed to LAFC.
During three seasons (2020-22) with LAFC, Musovski scored 11 goals and added five assists in just 1,842 minutes across 53 MLS regular-season appearances (17 starts). The Las Vegas, Nev., native was named MLS Player of the Week late in the 2020 campaign following a two-goal performance against Seattle. This season, Musovski has started six of his 16 appearances, scoring twice and adding one assist in 507 MLS minutes, while also adding two goals and an assist in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action.
Drafted with the No. 30 pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by San Jose Earthquakes out of UNLV, Musovski scored 16 goals in 40 appearances with Reno 1868 of the USL Championship in the 2018/2019 seasons. Including his five goals in 15 USL appearances on loan to Las Vegas Lights from LAFC, the 6-0, 170-lb. striker boasts 32 professional goals in a total of 108 appearances across the United States’ top two professional divisions in five years.
“I’m really excited to be joining Real Salt Lake, a team that I’ve gotten to know well during my time in Major League Soccer," said Musovski, who last appeared for LAFC on July 8 in a 3-2 win over LA Galaxy, starting but coming off with a hamstring strain in the 43rd minute at Banc of California Stadium. “I’m looking forward to coming in soon and helping the team make the push for the playoffs.”
The former Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year (2013) set the state’s high school goal-scoring record with 58 goals as a senior before matriculating to UNLV for a four-year college career. From 2014 to 2017, Musovski scored 47 goals in 88 appearances with the Rebels, earning two-time All-American honors and earning WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior.
“We are excited to add a dynamic striker in Danny who provides an additional goal-scoring threat on our roster and fits into our style of play,” said Real Salt Lake Technical Director Kurt Schmid. “We’ve monitored him closely since his days in college, and we are excited to be able to integrate him as we enter an important phase of our season.”
According to Fbref.com, in the last year compared against other MLS forwards, Danny “Moose” Musovski is in the 98th percentile in tackles per 90 (1.90), 95th percentile in interceptions per 90 (1.09), 91st percentile in pressures per 90 (20.26), 88th percentile in assists per 90 (0.27), and 87th percentile in non-penalty goals per 90 (0.54).
Transaction Details
Danny Musovski
Pronunciation: muss – OV - ski
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170
Hometown: Henderson, Nevada
Date of Birth: 30 November 1995 (26)
Nationality: American
How Acquired: Signed via trade from Los Angeles Football Club (Major League Soccer)
TRANSACTION: Real Salt Lake acquire FW Danny Musovski from Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
As of August 3, 2022, Real Salt Lake’s current roster during the ongoing MLS campaign, listed alphabetically by position, is as follows:
Goalkeepers (4): Gavin Beavers, Jeff Dewsnup, Tomas Gomez, Zac MacMath
Defenders (10): Andrew Brody, Zack Farnsworth, Justen Glad, Bret Halsey, Aaron Herrera, Erik Holt, Johan Kappelhof, Jaziel Orozco, Marcelo Silva, Tate Schmitt
Midfielders (10): Julio Benitez, Nick Besler, Scott Caldwell, Maikel Chang, Bode Hidalgo, Damir Kreilach, Jasper Löffelsend, Diego Luna, Pablo Ruiz, Jude Wellings
Forwards (9): Sergio Cordova, Chris Garcia, Anderson Julio, Axel Kei, Justin Meram, Danny Musovski, Rubio Rubin, Jefferson Savarino, Bobby Wood
With 34 points accumulated through 23 games of the 2022 MLS campaign, Real Salt Lake (9-7-7, 34 pts, 5th West) is part of an eight-team glut from 3rd to 10th place separated by just five points in the race for the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs (seven teams) and a home postseason match (four teams). Under Pablo Mastroeni, the Club’s sixth head coach in 18 seasons, RSL
For the first time in Club history, RSL has opened the year with 12 consecutive sellouts at Rio Tinto Stadium – the 7-1-3 (W-L-T) home record amongst the best in MLS this season – while Mastroeni and staff have utilized 28 players and 24 starters throughout an injury-filled first half of the year, as the Club has seen nearly 160 combined games of player availability lost due to injury, suspension or international duty.
Real Salt Lake finished last season in dramatic fashion, booking its place in the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs on Decision Day before making a run to the Western Conference Final following a 14-14-6 regular-season record. Saturday’s match at Rio Tinto Stadium against star-studded LAFC featuring Carlos Vela (Mexico), Gareth Bale (Wales) and Giorgio Chiellini (Italy) is expected to threaten the venue’s all-time attendance mark, set back in September, 2018, against Zlatan and the LA Galaxy.
