Canada did its best to silence a raucous home crowd against hosts Panama in the semi-final of the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship - but ultimately the young Canadians came up short losing 2-1.

Marco Bustos gave Canada an early lead when he headed home a cross from Matthew Chow in the 5th minute but Panama scored once on either side of the break to book its place in the tournament final.

The atmosphere at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City was a remarkable one for a U-17 match with over 10,000 fans in attendance, creating the type of formidable Central American support that is usually reserved for senior internationals.

"It was a great game in a fantastic atmosphere and I am proud of our effort" said U-17 Head Coach Sean Fleming.

"We had some chances that we failed to take, particularly in the second half and ultimately they did a better job of finishing their opportunities."

"Our players have never experienced this type of atmosphere before and I thought they showed well for themselves and the country."

Canada will now take on Honduras in Friday 19 April's (17.00 local kick-off) third-place match at the tournament.

The U-17 side will be looking to go on to claim Canada's 4th CONCACAF Youth Championship medal in the last six tournaments.

Canada has successfully qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 by virtue of its top-four finish at the CONCACAF Championship.

Notes: Four of five Kia Toronto FC Academy players with the Under-17 national team featured in this match ... Defenders Kevon Black, Ian Fernandes and Elias Roubos played the full 90 minutes ... Forward Jordan Hamilton entered at the 56th minute ... Midfielder Derick Sequeira was not in the lineup.