Greg Vanney is keen to ensure Toronto match Nashville's intensity and mentality from the outset as they begin their playoff campaign in the first round.
Tuesday's game is Nashville's second of the postseason after they eased past Inter Miami in the play-in round.
Toronto had a bye, but Vanney sees how that can work against his team.
"(We need to) make sure that we use our experience and we meet the intensity of the game right from the start, understanding what a playoff game looks like," he said.
"That's the difference for me right now: they have felt it, they've done it, and now we've got to get ourselves up to speed from the opening whistle.
"Aside from that, all these are one game at a time. You're just trying to get the result on the day and then you move to the next day.
"These aren't games about building your style of play or anything like that. Everything matters now in the game and making the right decisions.
"They've felt that. We've got to make sure that we enter this game with that mentality right from the start."
Nashville might hold an advantage in that regard, but Vanney is looking forward to taking on a team Toronto have never played before.
"We like the freshness of it," he said. "It's nice to play somebody that you haven't played four or five times this year.
"We'll have to do our homework, they'll do their homework, but there's something fun about that and we'll be looking forward to it."
Nashville coach Gary Smith added: "They're a top side. When we start talking about elite teams in MLS, this Toronto team have to be spoken of in that category.
"It will be a very, very tough game."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Toronto - Pablo Piatti
Winger Piatti was ruled out of the remainder of the regular season and Vanney has remained guarded on the possibility of a return for this match. His involvement or otherwise could be key, giving Toronto another dimension in attack.
Nashville - Dax McCarty
McCarty scored his third playoff goal for a third different team against Miami. Having netted for Dallas in 2010 and New York Red Bulls in 2015, he will hope not to have to wait another five years for his next strike. Regardless, the midfielder will be key against Toronto.
KEY OPTA FACTS
- This will be the first meeting between Toronto and Nashville. Toronto have lost only one of their past seven matches against expansion sides (W4 D2), including winning each of the most recent three.
- Nashville's 3-0 win over Inter Miami on Friday marked the first postseason win by a true expansion team since Chicago Fire won MLS Cup in 1998. Two of Chicago's wins in that 1998 playoff run came on the road, the only two away wins by an expansion team in MLS postseason history.
- Toronto lost three of their final four matches (W1) after losing only two of their first 19 matches this season (W12 D5). The Reds have lost only one Eastern Conference playoff match since the start of the 2017 season, winning six times and drawing the first leg of a two-legged tie once.
- Nashville became the eighth team in MLS history to win their first ever playoff match (excluding penalty shootouts) and the first since Portland Timbers in 2013. The Timbers (W2) are one of two teams, along with Colorado Rapids (W4), to win their first two postseason matches in Major League Soccer.
- Alejandro Pozuelo led MLS in direct goal contributions (18 - nine goals, nine primary assists) and total goal contributions (19 - nine goals, nine primary assists, one secondary assist). He is the third TFC player to lead the league in either category after Sebastian Giovinco (2015, 2016) and Dwayne DeRosario (2011) led the league in both.
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