Late miscues result in another draw for Fire

A missed penalty kick, a late goal allowed and another draw for the Chicago Fire. Seems like old times.

"Looks like it, yeah," Fire coach Frank Yallop said after his team's 1-1 draw against Toronto FC at Toyota Park on Saturday night. "I wouldn't say penalty kicks have haunted us this year, but I think they have, especially at home. We've still got to see the game out, though. Forget the penalty kick, 1-0 late in the game we have to find a way to sort it out. It's just lax marking again and not having that last do-or-die spirit to win a game. And that's what's missing."

The Fire (5-7-15, 30 points) is one draw from tying the MLS mark for ties in a season, 16 set by the Fire and New York in 2011. The Fire has seven matches left to play this season.

"Usually you find ways to lose matches as a group, and a lot of coaches have said that, but we find ways to tie matches when we should be winning them," Yallop said. "It's frustrating, but it's where we're at."

The Fire scored in the 11th minute on a Lovel Palmer header, his first goal for the Fire. The club could have had a second goal in the 57th minute, but Toronto goalkeeper Joseph Bendik saved Jeff Larentowicz's penalty kick and Quincy Amarikwa's follow-up shot.

Toronto FC's Dwayne De Rosario scored in the 89th minute to earn the draw and almost stole a victory. Gilberto's goal in second-half extra time was waved off for a foul.

"We got lucky on that one," Yallop said.

The draw ended a streak of three straight shutout losses for Toronto.

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