BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Brooklyn Football Club announced on Tuesday the first three signings ahead of the club’s inaugural season in the USL Championship, with goalkeeper Lukas Burns, defender Gabriel Alves and forward Shaan Hundal joining the club. The transactions are pending league and federation approval.

Burns joins Brooklyn having most recently played for Portland Timbers2 in MLS NEXT Pro over the past two seasons. The 23-year-old is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he recorded 83 saves across 23 appearances for T2, including stopping 2 of 6 penalty kicks, while recording three shutouts and a save percentage of 67.5 percent.

A native of Cinnaminson, N.J., Burns developed in the Philadelphia Union Academy, where Brooklyn FC Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc previously coached, and played collegiately at Providence College. Burns logged 1,965 minutes in goal for the Friars in 2024 and earned BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year honors. He signed his first professional contract with Timbers2 ahead of the 2025 season after the Portland Timbers selected him in the third round (No. 74 overall) of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.

Hundal brings a track record of scoring across Canada and the United States, including prior experience in both the USL Championship and League One. The 26-year-old came up through the Toronto FC academy and began his pro career with Toronto FC II, scoring 17 goals in 84 league appearances from 2016 to 2019, including 15 goals in 73 appearances in the USL Championship.

The 26-year-old later scored 17 goals over two seasons with Inter Miami II in USL League One before returning to the Canadian Premier League. He scored six goals in 28 league matches with Vancouver FC in 2023, added nine goals in 35 league appearances with Valour FC across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, then finished 2025 with York United FC, where he scored five goals in 14 league matches, helping the side reach the CanPL Playoffs.

Alves joins Brooklyn after most recently playing for South Georgia Tormenta FC in USL League One. He played collegiately at Marshall University from 2020 to 2022, making 52 appearances and scoring two goals while helping the Thundering Herd win the 2020 NCAA College Cup. Alves turned pro with Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship in 2023, then spent the 2024 season with Rhode Island FC before joining Tormenta ahead of 2025.

With Tormenta, the 26-year-old started all 30 regular season contests and logged one goal, three assists and 35 chances created in the past campaign while also completing 23 dribbles at a 67.6 percent success rate. Alves also won 122 duels at a 51.9 percent success rate while recording 27 interceptions and 86 recoveries defensively.