It took a little bit of time for Shaan Hundal to get going in 2024, but as the Canadian striker started finding the back of the net consistently, Valour FC’s form also improved dramatically.

In the second half of the season the Winnipeg-based side were one of the best teams in the league, taking points off of every other club and nearly sneaking over the playoff line in the final stretch, but in the end they still weren’t able to make it to the postseason for what would’ve been the club’s first ever appearance.

That is their target for this season – to bring the playoffs to Winnipeg – and if they are going to meet it, Hundal knows he will need to be at his best as well. He has set a target for himself that he reached while at Inter Miami CF II in 2021, but has yet to do in a CPL kit: reach ten or more goals.

“I’m excited for this year because the first season, we all know how that went. Hot first half of the season, second half died down a little bit,” he said to CanPL.ca. “I think I started off slow, playing on the wing, kind of just getting my form and everything, and then I had a real run at it for the second half of the season.

“I think this year I should have a good, consistent 28 games up front with the trust from the manager and trust in myself and my teammates. I feel like this is the first year in the CPL I’ll have a full 28 games to really just show what I can do, and I think I can get into the double digits of goals.”

After scoring seven a year ago, up from the six he scored in Vancouver the year before, ten is certainly within reach if he can hit the ground running. Last year his first goal didn’t come until matchday 10, but then he scored in six of his next 13 appearances.

Hundal has never lacked confidence in his abilities, but some of the confidence ahead of this season in particular comes from Valour adding some strong pieces that should complement him well.

Zach Fernandez, who is one of the CPL’s best attacking defenders, joined the club from Halifax Wanderers FC at right back, joining a fullback group that already includes 2024 assist leader Themi Antonoglou and Roberto Alarcon. Right winger Kris Twardek moved west as well, from Atlético Ottawa, to try and boost the attack, while the club’s 2023 leading scorer Kian Williams returns after missing the entirety of last season with a long-term injury.

The club also brought back Rocco Romeo to play centre-back, who was a teammate of his at Vancouver FC in 2023, and like Hundal returned to the club with the aim of making history and steering them into the playoffs.

“It’s really exciting, it’s nice to share the pitch with guys I played against and guys that I know gave me a tough time personally,” Hundal said. “It’s nice to finally be on the same side as them and see what we can do together.

“A lot of people think that it’s hard for Valour to attract players and hard for some of the better players in the league to come to Valour, but I don’t think that’s the case. Valour has the same opportunity as any other team in the league to bring these players in, and it just shows with guys like that coming in and showing trust in the program and the coaching staff and the players that have already signed. It’s important to see that.”

Jordi Swibel, who tied Hundal for the team lead with seven goals last season, left the club this winter. To replace him, Valour invested in a pair of high-potential Canadian forwards, with Erik Pop and Myles Morgan joining the attack.

Hundal, who despite being 25 years old made his professional debut nine years ago with Toronto FC II, is trying to take on a leadership role with the young players like them who are just starting to break through.

“It’s funny seeing these young guys come,” Hundal said. “They all hang around with each other off the field and it reminds me of me, Dante [Campbell], and Jordan [Faria], but when we were at TFC.

“It’s funny seeing them all excited to play their first season or second season, whatever it is, and they’re filled with a lot of hope and energy, and hopefully they can have big years and break out.”

Consistency in the squad is something that Valour did not have last season, and something that Hundal believes could help them get off to a better start in 2025. With the team playing their first quarter of the season on the road due to stadium renovations, and familiarizing themselves with one another still weeks into the season, Valour started 1-1-5. They were better in the aforementioned second half of the season, but it was their start that ultimately left them on the outside looking in.

This year, most of their key players have either returned or been replaced. More familiarity among the squad is valuable, and in preseason that showed with the club keeping multiple clean sheets against other CPL clubs as well as against Whitecaps FC 2 and League1 BC’s Altitude FC.

The hope is that they can bring that into the season and, most importantly, maintain strong performances on both sides of the ball. That will also come with a different approach to the game as they look to dictate possession of the ball more than they did last season.

“I think a big part of [success] is knowing what type of team we are,” Hundal said. “I think in the second half of the season, we realized that we’re a team that can counter well, stay in a nice block and just kind of suffer our way to wins – just take all that pressure until we get that one goal and take the lead and leave with a point or three.

“This year, I think we’re a different team than that, I think we just need to get to know our teammates and see what works and what doesn’t work, and once we get that down, I think it’s just about getting in a rhythm and staying consistent.”

Optimism is high in Winnipeg. So are the expectations both internally and externally after six years without making the playoffs. People around the club believe that this is the year they could finally reach that milestone for the first time.

After a long off-season and a several weeks of pre-season, the action finally gets underway on April 5 when Valour visits Pacific FC at Starlight Stadium, before returning home in week three to host the Halifax Wanderers with a trip to visit Forge in Hamilton in between.

“It feels good to be back,” Hundal concluded. “I think we’re looking really good, I think we’re gelling pretty well and I think everyone’s just excited to get to that first game of the season and show the league what we can do.”