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USMNT falls back to No. 14 in latest FIFA Rankings

USMNTStartingXI1-MexicoAprilFriendly (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

The U.S. Men’s National Team is looking likely to be one of the top 15 ranked teams heading into this summer’s World Cup.

On Thursday, FIFA released the latest world rankings for the month of May, which saw the USMNT drop one place to No. 14. It’s the third time in 2014 that the USA has been at No. 14 after fluctuating between No. 14 and No. 13 throughout the first five months. The U.S. now sits between Chile at No. 13 and the Netherlands at No. 15.

In CONCACAF, Mexico remained the second-highest ranked side at No. 19, Honduras jumped up two places to No. 30, while Costa Rica and Panama remained at No. 34 and No. 35, respectively.

Spain remains the leader in the rankings by a long shot, followed by Germany and Portugal. Brazil moved up two spaces to No. 4, and Colombia rounds out the top five. Uruguay, Argentina, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece make up the rest of the top 10.

The next rankings will be published on June 6, after head coach Jurgen Klinsmann names his 23-man squad for Brazil.

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What do you think of this ranking? Do you think the U.S. should be higher? Should they be lower?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I want us to be ranked as low as possible. Anything else reminds me of 2006 and our, what, No. 9 ranking before that World Cup? It was something ridiculous, and we flamed out of course.

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  2. Its too bad that Portugal wasn’t in the top 8 a few months ago before the WC group draw. All of a sudden they leap-frog everyone to go to #3….and we end up in a group with #2 and #3 going into the World Cup. Group H doesn’t have anyone inside the top 11 now.

    This confirms that group G is really the Group of Death…edging out Group D. Average ranking in Group G is 14.25 and average ranking for Group D is 15. Group F trails all others with an average of 28.25.

    I know these rankings don’t mean too much…but I also think that Ghana is seriously under-estimated with a ranking of 38. Anyone see the highlights of that 6-1 thrashing of Egypt at the end of qualifying?

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  3. These ratings are laughable and we are the only country that seems to pay any attention to them. Unfortunately, they’re used to seed teams, at least at this world cup, so they can’t be ignored. Of course, the bigger problem with the draw was that pots 2-4 weren’t seeded but were based on geography. That’s why the US, who would probably have been in pot 2 if the whole thing were seeded, got the equivalent of a pot 4 draw with three very strong opponents.

    Hopefully this format isn’t used in future or other only way for the US to avoid another group of death will be to be one of the top 8 seeds.

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    • Switz very much paided attention and got seeded because of it. But as fas as “how good are we scale ya no one cares.

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    • After the draw the US got in 2010, the odds of probability just weren’t on the US’s side. The US (and Mexico) just really need CONCACAF as a whole to get better (at least the teams that qualify for WC’s).

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      • If FIFA is just going to stick all CONCACAF teams in a de facto pot 4 all the time, then it doesn’t really make much difference. If they use this format for seeding in future world cups, the only way for the US to avoid a tough draw is to get into the top 8 seeds.

      • better national teams won’t do much to improve the level of the region, it’s just 10 games every 4 years, the development happens at club level and the only country in the zone that seems to take youth development seriously is Mexico, meanwhile the USSF is just waiting to see if Germany or Scandivania produce a new crop of players for us and MLS isn’t growing as fast as someone would expect if you take into account the pre-olympic, U17 and U20 teams.

    • Yeah there was zero reason outside of the pride of winning to finish first in the hex. Heck, the top two teams coming out of the hex got the two toughest draws!

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  4. How does everyone feel about the US’s jerseys? I keep thinking that I will get used to them, but I must admit they just look worse and worse every time I see them. For me it is mainly that the colors are wrong. Then centennial jersey was the best they put out in years, but it looks like they gave those jersey’s to England for the World Cup.

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  5. Fifa Rankings, People’s Most Beautiful Person list, Rankings on Buzzfeeed.

    What are things that mean absolutely nothing.

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  6. Regardless of where we are, Germany and Portugal are rated at the top 5. It’s gonna take something special to beat them.

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    • FIFA admits that rankings at this point in the cycle are skewed. Otherwise they’d use them to seed teams for World Cup. Portugals two big wins over Sweden have a dispropotionate effect on their ranking because no one else was playing qualifiers anymore. Same goes for Mexico but two wins over New Zealand won’t rocket you as far as two wins over Sweden.

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  7. 15)Netherlands – 16) France – 17)Ukraine – 18)Russia – 19)Mexico – 20)Croatia

    looking at the top 20 countries FIFA rankings doesnt mean much at all…….

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    • It’s all based on data and the formula. Rankings is probably the wrong word for it, but I can’t think of another better one. Ranking seems to imply an actual ranking of how good the team is. Standings is almost more accurate. All they really are is a weighted standings of actual results. Its too bad FIFA uses them to seed teams.

      Reply

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