Nikola Budalić
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| Nikola Budalić | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikola Budalić | |
| Date of birth | August 1, 1978 | |
| Place of birth | Kitchener, Canada | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Serbian White Eagles | |
| Number | 5 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 2000-2001 | Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2001 2002 2003 2004 2004–2005 2006– |
Glen Shields Sun Devils Toronto Lynx Örebro SK Montreal Impact F.K. Haugesund Serbian White Eagles |
? (?) 22 (12) ? (?) 9 (0) 31 (2) 9 (2) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Nikola Budalić (born 1978 in Kitchener, Ontario) is a Serbian-Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for the Serbian White Eagles.
Before turning pro he played college soccer with the James Madison University, in 2001 he was selected by the Toronto Lynx in the first round of the USL First Division 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. In order to maintain his CIS eligibility he did not turn pro that year but instead played for Glen Shields in the Canadian Soccer League.
In 2002 he returned to play for the Lynx making his debut on April 20, 2002 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He scored his first goal on April 26 against Richmond Kickers in a 1-1 draw. He nearly helped the Lynx make the playoffs but a tie in the final game of season against Atlanta Silverbacks made the Charlotte Eagles take the final playoff spot. He finished his rookie season with twelve goals, as well was named Team of the Week three times. The Club recognized him with their Best Offensive Player Award and, he was also named 2002 A-League Rookie of the Year.
Just weeks before the start of the 2003 season, the Lynx announced he had been transferred to Örebro SK in the Swedish First Division. Where he was re-united with former Lynx player Chris Pozniak. The same year he was named to the Canada national soccer team roster for a friendly against Germany, but did not play.
In 2004 he returned to the USL First Division to sign with Montreal Impact, where he had difficulty getting sufficient playing time with the Impact. He was later transferred to F.K. Haugesund where he and fellow former Lynx players Milan Kojić, Chris Pozniak, and Kevin DeSepra helped the team win promotion to the Adeccoligaen in 2005. In 2006, he was released by Haugesund. After his release, he signed with newly expansion Serbian White Eagles of the Canadian Soccer League. With the Serbian White Eagles, he reached the final of the Rogers Cup but lost to the [[Italia Shooters] by a score of 1:0.
On September 17th, 2007, Budalić played a game for the Toronto FC reserve team against the Real Salt Lake reserve team, and scored a goal in the 22nd minute.
Budalić was recently named team captain of the Serbian White Eagles.
