John Herdman’s demand of his side heading into Saturday’s match against the New York Red Bulls was plain.

“We have to finish strongly,” said the TFC coach on Thursday. “In every game we've played, we've started strong. Philadelphia, we could have won the game in that first half, we won the game in the first half against D.C.”

“But we have a real problem with these last 30 minutes of games and unless we fix that we're going to find ourselves in a tough spot,” he continued. “All our attention, all our focus is going to be on finishing strong,”

Toronto has been a front-foot team all season long. The team has more often than not taken the game to their opponents from the opening whistle, but the dip in the last third of matches has been costly. Taking a 1-0 lead into half-time against Nashville SC on Wednesday, only to concede twice in the final 30 minutes, was just the latest example.

“We need to understand when to manage a game,” levelled Luka Gavran, deputizing at goalkeeper with Sean Johnson away on international duty. “Sometimes in a tough game like that you're not going to see the ball as much for five minutes, so staying narrow, staying compact, not giving up chances.”

“[Nashville] didn't have a shot on goal really for 65 minutes until we make a mistake, fall asleep, and within two passes the ball is in the back of the net. We have to do a much better job of understanding where the game is at in the context of each phase of the game,” he added. “We do so well at the beginning of games and die off way too much. We need to finish games off just as strong as we start.”

Finishing strong and managing difficult moments are parts of the formula, but so too is making the most of opportunities created. Putting a foot on the jugular when the opponent is down. The chances are being created.

The goalscorers put in some extra work on the training pitch on Thursday.

“We just had a really intense session with the finishers,” said Herdman. “It was probably as animated, as committed, as I've seen them because some of them were called out last night in the huddle from their teammates.”

“[Scoring goals] is a collective responsibility, but their response was brilliant today in training. It was a reminder that you've got to bring that intensity when you come on the pitch,” he stressed. “I don't want to see guys hugging [former] teammates when we get beat at home. I don't want to see that. We've lost the match.”

Disappointed after the defeat to the Chicago Fire last weekend, Herdman and company opted to mix things up, taking a different approach to the match against Nashville as evidenced by every player rolling up to BMO Field in team issued polo shirts.

“We talked about reconnecting to the Brotherhood in tough times. We talked about the fans needing to see a team out there, not a group,” he explained. “And a team only connects when they're selfless.”

“The selfishness of worrying about your own contract or worrying about your performance and how you're looking in moments has crept in in our home matches,” Herdman continued. “We did things a little bit differently – how we turned up to the stadium and what we did pregame – to ensure that the group were together.”

Normally at home, the players arrive at the stadium on their own a few hours before the game. Left to their own devices on game day. Wednesday was different.

“We did some work at the Raptors OVO [Athletic] Centre, did our pregame meeting there, did some tactical elements pregame, used some of the Raptors thematics, showed their journey [en route to victory in the NBA Playoffs],” outlined Herdman. “They did lose games, but when it mattered they showed up together.”

“We wanted to walk in together. We wanted the fans to see a collective,” he added. “And for them to look as one approaching our stadium.”

That is how every team approaches away matches, ventures into hostile territory. The image of the bus arriving at the stadium, the players filing out as a unit, is the same the world over.

Ahead is an important stretch for Toronto.

Chicago and Nashville were the first of nine MLS matches that lead into the Leagues Cup at the end of July. The games arrive in a series of triplets with the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal against Forge FC on July 10 dotted in for good measure. It is a period that will test the mettle of a side.

Saturday away to the New York Red Bulls will close out this first set.

“This stretch of games is huge for us,” said Gavran. “We're missing a few players [on international duty], Canadian Championship is coming up, Leagues Cup is around the corner, the end of the season is coming. We need to be in top notch form. This is where we need to start turning things around and really feeling ourselves.”

Lining up opposite this week are the Red Bulls.

“Difficult place, difficult team, but it sets up an opportunity,” anticipated Herdman. “There's a different mentality on the road, in terms of your defensive compactness, the clean-sheet approach, and it gives us a chance to draw into that narrative. The opportunity of turning the page quickly, putting in a more solid defensive performance, and freshening up with some opportunities is what I see ahead for this weekend.”

Sandro Schwarz’ side comes into the match winless in three, having drawn 0-0 against Nashville last weekend and 2-2 at CF Montreal midweek after a 1-0 defeat at the New England Revolution on June 8.

Lewis Morgan leads the side with nine goals – he will miss the match away at EURO 2024 in Germany with Scotland. Emil Forsberg, who has six goals, is back from international duty with Sweden, but is in doubt with injury. Dante Vanzeir’s tally of seven has him leading the way in assists.

“It's a quick turnaround,” said Gavran. “We’ve got two days to prepare for a good team in the Red Bulls, an away game. We've been really good away, so hopefully this is the start of a good transition into the next phase of the season.”

“We've defended well away, we've given ourselves chances away, so we'll go into that game with a good mentality,” he closed. “We're going to be ready.”