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. In 2003, he signed a contract with the Toronto Lynx. He recorded his first goal on April 26, 2002, against
Richmond Kickers in a 1–1 draw. 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. 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. In 2004, he returned to Canada to sign with
Montreal Impact. 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. 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. 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. He featured in the championship match against rivals
Toronto Croatia, but suffered a 4–1 defeat on goals on aggregate. 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. 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. 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. 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. == Managerial career ==