Despite going out in the second round of CONCACAF qualifying for South Africa 2010, tiny Central American outfit Belize showed a tremendous amount of improvement upon past attempts.

With a squad comprised of largely amateur players and a handful of foreign-based professionals, the Belizeans handily beat fancied St. Kitts and Nevis in the first round. They then had the unenviable task of meeting mighty Mexico in the final knockout round. After producing an impressive performance in Houston in the first leg, they went down 2-0 on the day and lost the second leg in Monterrey by a 7-0 scoreline.

Though the 9-0 aggregate score gives the impression of a hiding, the nature of their play, along with their increased self-belief, signals a brighter future for the one-time whipping boys of Central America.