Niki Budalić Explained

Niki Budalic
Fullname:Nikola Budalic
Birth Date:1 August 1978
Birth Place:Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Currentclub:Inter Miami
(director of soccer operations)
Position:Attacking midfielder
Youthyears1:1997–2000
Youthclubs1:James Madison Dukes
Youthyears2:2000–2001
Youthclubs2:Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Years1:2001
Years2:2002
Years3:2003
Years4:2004
Years5:2004–2005
Years6:2006–2009
Years7:2007
Years8:2013–2014
Clubs3:Örebro[1]
Clubs6:Serbian White Eagles
Clubs7:Toronto FC Reserves (loan)
Clubs8:K-W United
Caps1:10
Caps2:22
Caps3:5
Caps4:9
Caps5:31
Caps6:31
Caps7:2
Caps8:2
Goals1:1
Goals2:12
Goals3:0
Goals4:0
Goals5:2
Goals6:6
Goals7:1
Goals8:0
Totalcaps:112
Totalgoals:22
Manageryears1:2010
Managerclubs1:Serbian White Eagles

Nikola “Niki” Budalic (born August 1, 1978) is a Canadian retired soccer player who currently serves as a director of soccer operations for Inter Miami CF.

Club career

Budalic began his soccer career at the college level with the James Madison University. In 2001, he was selected by the Toronto Lynx in the first round of the USL A-League 2001 College Draft, but decided to continue his education back home at Wilfrid Laurier University where he led the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks to the CIS championship. After the college season came to a conclusion he played with the Glen Shields Sun Devils in the Canadian Professional Soccer League.[2]

In 2003, he signed a contract with the Toronto Lynx.[2] He made his debut on April 20, 2002 against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.[3] He recorded his first goal on April 26, 2002 against Richmond Kickers in a 1-1 draw.[4] In his rookie season he nearly helped the Lynx qualify for the postseason, but a tie in the final game of season against Atlanta Silverbacks made the Charlotte Eagles take the final playoff spot. He finished the season with twelve goals and was named Team of the Week three times. The club also recognized him with their Best Offensive Player award, and was also named the A-League Rookie of the Year.[5] [6]

Just weeks before the start of the 2003 season the Lynx announced Budalic had been transferred to Örebro SK in the Swedish First Division, where he was re-united with former Lynx player Chris Pozniak. He was also named to the Canada national soccer team roster for a friendly against Germany, but did not feature in the match.[7] [8]

In 2004, he returned to Canada to sign with Montreal Impact.[9] During his tenure with Montreal he had difficulty getting sufficient playing time with the competition of well-established strikers. He was later transferred to F.K. Haugesund where he helped the club win promotion to the Adeccoligaen in 2005.[10] [11] [12] In 2006, he was released by Haugesund, which marked his return to Canada to sign with the Serbian White Eagles of the Canadian Soccer League.[13] In his debut season he assisted the club in clinching the International Division title. He featured in the CSL Championship match against Italia Shooters, but lost the game to a score of 1-0.[14]

He featured in the championship match against rivals Toronto Croatia, but suffered a 4-1 defeat on goals on aggregate.[13] [15] On September 17, 2007, Budalic played a game for the Toronto FC reserve team against the Real Salt Lake reserve team, and scored a goal in the 22nd minute.[16] In 2008, he was named team captain of the Serbian White Eagles for the 2008 season. He helped secure a postseason by finishing second in their division. In the playoffs, he recorded a goal in a 3-0 victory against Italia.[17] For the third straight year he reached the championship final against the Trois-Rivières Attak, where Serbia claimed their first championship in a 2-1 victory in a penalty shootout.

In 2009, he assisted Serbia in securing their third division title and reached the championship final for the fourth time, but were defeated by the Attak in a penalty shootout.[18] The following year he retired from competitive soccer in order to coach the White Eagles. He briefly returned to soccer in 2013 to play with K-W United FC in the USL Premier Development League.[19]

Managerial career

After his retirement from soccer he was appointed the head coach of the Serbian White Eagles on 13 September 2010.[20]

Budalic served as director of soccer operations for K-W United, leading the team to the PDL championship in 2015. He was also an assistant coach for the women's and men's soccer teams at Wilfrid Laurier University and director of football for Beswicks Sports North America before joining Orlando City on 26 January 2016, as an assistant general manager, where he had to report directly to founder and president Phil Rawlins.[21] On 14 December 2016, he was promoted to general manager, soccer operations at Orlando City, Orlando Pride and Orlando City B.[22] He left the club in late November 2018.[23]

Budalic then joined Inter Miami as a director of soccer operations on 8 January 2019.[24]

Honours

Player

Serbian White Eagles

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2012-04-26. Sportklubben.net - Nikola Budalic. 2020-10-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20120426040732/http://sportklubben.net/Players/Stat/Player_31.asp. 2012-04-26.
  2. Web site: Michalko. Eric. April 18, 2002. Lynx Set To Kick Off 2002 Season. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20020802065405/http://lynxsoccer.com/site.html. 2002-08-02. August 2, 2002.
  3. Web site: Michalko. Eric. April 20, 2002. VINGJEVIC HITS POST IN THE FINAL MINUTE AS LYNX DROP OPENER. 2016-12-05. lynxsoccer.com.
  4. Web site: Michalko. Eric. April 27, 2002. ROAD TO VICTORY GOES THROUGH HAMPTON. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20031008194936/http://www.lynxsoccer.com/site.html. October 8, 2003. 2016-12-05. lynxsoccer.com.
  5. Web site: The Year in American Soccer, 2002. homepages.sover.net. 2016-12-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20110811085648/http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/year/2002.html#aleague. 2011-08-11. dead.
  6. Web site: Nutt. David. April 2, 2003. Another 2 Lynx Favourites Are Back For 2003!. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20031008194936/http://www.lynxsoccer.com/site.html. October 8, 2003. 2020-10-22.
  7. Web site: Canada Soccer. www.canadasoccer.com. 2016-12-05.
  8. Web site: Davidson. Neil. May 23, 2003. Canadian team lacks scoring punch. 2020-10-22. Newspapers.com. Calgary Herald. 78. en.
  9. Web site: Banfi. Stéphane. January 22, 2004. The Impact punches up it offence with Nikola Budalic. Impact Media.
  10. Book: Lodes, Kirk J.. The American Soccer Guide. 2008-01-01. Kirk Lodes. 9781930852099. en.
  11. Web site: Montreal Impact transfer history. ImpactSoccer.com. 2016-12-06.
  12. Web site: FK Haugesund 2006. Woile. Dennis Grebasch, Michael. en.eufo.de. en. 2017-05-08.
  13. Web site: Serbian White Eagles Soccer Club - Roster. 2016-12-06. serbianwhiteeagles.ca. 2020-10-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20201017022950/http://serbianwhiteeagles.ca/serbianwhiteeagles.ca/SerbianWhiteEagles%20Old%20Website/en/. dead.
  14. Web site: October 15, 2006. 2006 CSL season. canadiansoccerleague.ca.
  15. Web site: October 27, 2007. 2007 CSL season. canadiansoccerleague.ca.
  16. Web site: Niki Budalic SoccerStats.us. 2020-10-22. soccerstats.us.
  17. Web site: 2008 CSL Season. canadiansoccerleague.ca.
  18. Web site: 2009 CSL Season. canadiansoccerleague.ca.
  19. Web site: NIKI BUDALIC OF SWE JOINS DAVID BECKHAM AT INTER MIAMI – Canadian Soccer League. Adamson. Stan. November 21, 2019. en-US. 2019-11-22.
  20. Web site: Canadian Soccer League. 2013-01-26. 2017-08-29. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130126101255/http://canadiansoccerleague.com/teams/serbian.asp. 2013-01-26.
  21. https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2016/01/25/niki-budalic-joins-orlando-city-assistant-general-manager Niki Budalic Joins Orlando City as Assistant General Manager
  22. https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2016/12/14/orlando-city-sc-s-niki-budalic-promoted-general-manager-soccer-operations Orlando City SC’s Niki Budalic Promoted To General Manager, Soccer Operations
  23. Web site: Orlando City parts ways with club GM Niki Budalić Pro Soccer USA. Culver. Jordan. www.prosoccerusa.com. en-US. 2018-11-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181126190230/https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/orlando-city-sc/orlando-city-parts-ways-with-club-gm-niki-budalic/ . 2018-11-26 . dead .
  24. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/niki-budalic-david-beckham-inter-miami-director-soccer-1.4968923 Canadian Niki Budalic joins David Beckham's Inter Miami as director of soccer operations
  25. "2010 Canadian Soccer League (CSL) Schedule, Results and Game Reports". rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved February 28, 2024.