When it comes to do-or-die series over the past few years, Toronto FC have been doers.

The Reds had won their last 11 two-leg series heading into the CONCACAF Champions League final against Chivas de Guadalajara on Tuesday night. Since a Canadian Championship semifinal loss to the Montreal Impact in 2015, they have won four Canadian Championship series, three Champions League series and four Major League Soccer playoff series. Toronto has posted a 9-1-1 record at home in those games, with a 3-4-4 record on the road. The one series that TFC swept was back in the 2016 playoffs, when they won both games against New York City FC for an aggregate score of 7-0. The Reds advanced with a win and a tie in five series, and a win and a loss in five series.

Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio believes Toronto’s success over the past few years comes down to the coaching staff giving the team a model for how they expect the series to play out, and the players executing that plan. The team ideally wants to set itself up with a win in the first leg, especially when that game is played at home. But Osorio believes Toronto has the experience to come out on top, no matter which way the first leg goes.

“We’ve entered situations where at times we didn’t get it done but then we learned what we needed to do in order to get the job done,” he said. “And now that we have that experience, we go into these finals with a lot more confidence and we know that we’re able to accomplish our goals.”

Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney said the key is being able to win in different ways, something that has been particularly useful during this year’s Champions League campaign.

“At a couple of the home games, we were able to be more aggressive, we were able to get ourselves an advantage before we went away, take advantage of the home leg,” he said. “And then on the road, we didn’t have as much of the ball, maybe, as we did at home, but we did a nice job defending as a group, finding our moments in transition.”

Winning with different strategies comes down to some core values: being disciplined, seeing out a game plan and making the most of crucial moments in the games.

Guadalajara’s style poses a different problem to Vanney and his team than any of Toronto’s previous Champions League opponents — Club America, Tigres UNAL and the Colorado Rapids. Vanney calls the Liga MX team a very “personal” squad that will track the Reds’ players all over the field.

“They don’t give you a lot of time, individually, on the ball necessarily because always somebody is right with you,” Vanney said. “That’s how they’re unique. You’ll see a lot of teams that will zone and find the moments that they want to lock in and mark guys and that’ll shift in certain moments of the game. (Chivas is) very personal, to the extent that many times they don’t change. If players change positions, they’ll just stay with them and change positions with them.”

That one-of-a-kind style, a technique that Vanney says the team doesn’t see much in MLS, could force a change in approach from the Reds if the they want to win their 12th consecutive series and become the first MLS team to win the tournament.

A lot has been made of Toronto’s latest chance to make history. While Osorio said it would be “huge” for TFC to break the MLS’s Champions League drought, he believes Toronto can’t be the last team to pull off the feat. Mexican teams have won all nine trophies in the tournament’s modern era.

“Liga MX sides have a big history, have a head start I would say ...,” Osorio said. “It starts with us and that’s huge, that changes a lot. It gives the other teams and, of course, ourselves belief that it can be done but I think moving forward I think MLS team have to keep winning.”