U.S. Rises, Mexico Falls In Latest FIFA Rankings

The latest FIFA rankings are out and they have taken notice of the United States' victory over Mexico at Estadio Azteca. El Tri are still ahead of the U.S., but they dropped three spots from 18th to 21st, while the Americans moved up three spots to 33rd.

Amazingly, the FIFA rankings are very important because FIFA uses them to determine the seeded teams at the World Cup, but neither the U.S. nor Mexico will be getting a seed in 2014 so that doesn't really matter much to either side. It is really just about seeing how awesome you are, or if you are less than awesome, using it as another way to prove FIFA's incompetence*.

* England is ranked third.

So the Americans' win at Azteca has vaulted them three spots up and dropped Mexico three spots. That's not too bad. Of course, this shift in rankings coud also be a reflection of matches from the last four years being devalued, but it is more satisfying to point at August 15, 2012 and say, "HA! Even FIFA knows we gotcha."

Sitting in front of the U.S. is Mali, Ghana, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paraguay and Algeria. All of those teams, as well as the U.S., are in qualifying this week and again next month so expect plenty of movement in the October and November FIFA rankings.