The Fire had victory within their grasp with minutes to play Saturday night.
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But Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario turned a happy ending into the same old story with a late goal to force a 1-1 tie at Toyota Park.
“Not having that real last do-or-die spirit to win a game, that’s what’s missing,” Fire coach Frank Yallop said. “I can’t fault the guys for their continued efforts, but their mental, slight breakdowns are hurting us.”
Defender Lovel Palmer scored his first goal in three seasons to give the Fire an early lead, but De Rosario tied with a short shot in the 89th minute and the teams played through a scoreless stoppage time.
The Fire (5-7-15, 30 points) are now one tie away from matching the all-time league record they share with New York.
Toronto FC (9-11-7, 34 points) scored their first goal after three consecutive shutout losses.
Palmer tallied on a header in the 11th minute for his first goal since he scored on May 7, 2011 against Toronto while with Houston.
The Fire missed a chance in the second half to go up 2-0 when Toronto goalkeeper Joseph Bendik blocked Fire captain Jeff Larentowicz’s penalty kick in the 57th minute.
“(Missed) penalty kicks have haunted us this year, especially at home,” Yallop said. “(But) we still have to see the game out through. Forget the penalty kick, 1-0 late in the game (and) we have to find a way to sort it out.”
Stuck in ninth place in the MLS Eastern Conference and with seven games to play, the Fire are seven points out of fifth place and the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Toronto entered Saturday’s match closer to playoff contention but saw a winless streak reach six. They haven’t beaten the Fire since May 8, 2010, a span of 10 games.
The Fire were missing new forward Robert Earnshaw, who had goals in his first two games following last month’s arrival. He was sidelined Saturday with a strained calf.
Also out was forward Mike Magee who had season-ending hip surgery earlier this week.
Newly signed French forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle was also absent, reportedly in Paris resolving visa issues. Fire coach Frank Yallop hopes he will make a quick impact once available.
“He has been training with us for the past few weeks, (so) we’ve been able to see first-hand the attributes he has,” Yallop said.