By Ivan Orozco

It was a moment Carlos Campos will want to forget.

It was November 5 when the Mexican midfielder couldn't convert a penalty kick in a shootout against South Korea in the Round-of-16 of the Under-17 World Cup.

South Korean goalkeeper Kim Jin-long dove to his left, blocking Campos shot.

Mexico was eliminated and perhaps embarrassed.

Coach Jose Luis Gonzalez squad appeared headed to the quarterfinals, leading 1-0 approaching injury time. But a South Korean goal two minutes into added time forced extra time - and eventually penalties.

"It hurts to lose, because the guys left it all on the pitch," Gonzalez said. "It's sad to lose this way but that's soccer. We have to leave with a sense of accomplishment, with our heads held high because the Mexican national team in this game and throughout this tournament left everything on the pitch."

And it left a dramatic finish. And with all the drama went the final remaining team representing CONCACAF in the World Cup.

The United States had been eliminated the day before with a 2-1 loss to Italy.

Costa Rica and Honduras didn't reach the knockout stage, both finishing last in their respective groups.

Just like Mexico's finish, there was plenty of drama in 2009 for CONCACAF U-17 teams.

Besides Mexico's loss to South Korea, the Americans equalized with Italy early in the second half in their second-round match, giving hope that coach Wilmer Cabrera's squad would accomplish an upset. But the U.S. euphoria lasted only five minutes, when the Italians reclaimed the lead and won 2-1.

Then there was the cancellation of the semifinals and finals of the CONCACAF championship in the border town of Tijuana, Mexico, due to the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu.

Mexico and the United States were on a path to meet in the title match and set up a showdown in front of a chaotic crowd at Estadio Caliente.

It is anybody's guess what could have transpired if the long-time rival countries met. Fans wanted to see U.S. striker Jack McInerney, who led the tournament with five goals in three games, take on a Mexican defense that shutout all three of its group rivals, outscoring them 11-0.

Instead, Mexico, the U.S., Costa Rica and Honduras sealed their tickets to the World Cup having already reached the semifinals.

Both Honduras and Costa Rica finished 1-1-1 in their groups with wins against Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago respectively.

Both Central American nations hoped for similar success at the World Cup.

Bur Costa Rica finished 0-1-2 with its only point coming in a 1-1 draw against New Zealand.

Honduras lost all three of its group matches against Argentina, Germany and host Nigeria, scoring only one goal.

The United States reached the second round of a U-17 World Cup for the fourth-straight time, overcoming an opening 2-1 loss to Spain with a pair of 1-0 victories over Malawi and the United Arab Emirates.

The Americans failed to capitalize on a Spanish side that played with a man down for the last 88 minutes and costing them a second-round match against Burkina Faso.

Mexico, the 2005 World Cup champion, also couldn't exploit its advantages, failing to close out South Korea with the victory seemingly at hand.

Gonzalez's team went 2-1 in the group stage, like the United States, overcoming an opening 2-0 loss to eventual 2009 champion Switzerland to beat Brazil and Japan.

But penalty kicks doomed it.

"There are no excuses," Gonzalez said. "It was Korea's turn to win. I felt it was a great game from both sides, and we simply were the ones to lose."

Maybe Mexico's fortune will be different in the next U-17 World Cup. After all, they are hosting the tournament in 2011.