Orlando City SC is making changes both on and off the field. On Wednesday, the club announced it promoted former assistant general manager Niki Budalic to general manager of soccer operations of Orlando City, Orlando Pride and Orlando City B. The promotion is effective immediately. Budalic previously worked directly with president and founder Phil Rawlins.
“I want to congratulate Niki on this well-deserved promotion,” Rawlins said, per the release. “I’ve known Niki for many years, and I am confident in his work ethic, player-scouting intelligence and negotiating experience, as he leads soccer operations during an important year for us in our new home stadium.”
Budalic joined City after he had served as the director of soccer operations for Premier Development League side Kitchener-Waterloo United FC. That team won the 2015 national championship.
“I am thankful for this opportunity to work even closer with our technical team on player development and general team management,” Budalic said, per the release. “I’ve learned a lot from Phil this past year, and, along with our coaches, I will continue working hard this offseason to prepare for a new campaign, a new stadium and a fresh start to 2017 for our three teams.”
