TFC's back to basics approach under Perez paying off

It was a simple question that elicited Michael Bradley’s famous death stare.  

“How is Toronto FC trending at the moment?”

That was one reporter’s query to Bradley in the locker room following a 2-1 home loss to D.C. United late in the 2016 MLS season, a result that extended the Reds’ winless streak to four games. TFC was headed in the wrong direction just ahead of the playoffs (they ended up reaching the MLS Cup, so things worked out in the end). But nobody at the time could forecast what was to come, and you could tell Bradley was irked when he was asked how the club was trending.