OTTAWA – As soon as the final whistle went on its Canadian Championship Preliminary Round victory, the opportunity that awaited Ottawa Fury FC in the tournament’s two-legged semifinal has been front and center for the club and its fans.

Defending MLS Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC visits TD Place on Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff in the first leg of their series, and the first competitive meeting between the clubs. With last year’s memories of a 2-0 victory against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at the same stage in front of more than 9,000 fans at TD Place, Ottawa is looking to get on the front foot against their illustrious opposition.

“We need to stay focused on what we're doing right at this moment and continue to get better,” said Canadian international Jamar Dixon. “We need to limit our mistakes and capitalize on our chances. It's going to be a great game and on opportunity to see how we match up against a top MLS team. TFC is a good team so we need to be ready to battle.”

Fury FC showed some of that fighting spirit in its last outing, when it rallied to defeat defending USL champion the New York Red Bulls II 4-3 on Saturday afternoon. The victory included a first professional goal for Tucker Hume, but also a late two-goal flurry from Michael Salazar and Ryan Williams that handed New York its first loss this season at MSU Soccer Park.

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After the side took a 4-2 aggregate win against FC Edmonton in the preliminary round, Hume is looking forward to trying to find the net again against one of the top teams in North America.

“It gives me great confidence going forward because now the first one is out of the way and now I'm hungrier to get more goals,” said Hume. “I expect a lot of quality from TFC, they are in great form right now and will be very organized tactically, also individually they have a lot of quality.”

That quality, which potentially could include U.S. internationals Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley, and the likes of former Toronto FC II standout Raheem Edwards, will demand a high level of focus from Ottawa. But with the way Fury FC has approached games so far this season, the pressure that has worked well when the team has found success will be key to disrupting its visitors and give the side a chance at holding an edge going to BMO Field for the second leg.

“We need to be aggressive,” said Fury FC Head Coach Paul Dalglish. “If they play a strong team and we sit back we will allow good players time on the ball and allow them to hurt us. If we are aggressive and don't allow them time on the ball then we make them have to work hard to get anything out of the game. Regardless of who they start they are going to know they are in a game.”