USMNT drops three places to No. 18 in FIFA World Rankings

The United States fell three spots to No. 18 in the August FIFA World Rankings, a drop that makes them the third-ranked CONCACAF team. Costa Rica is No. 15, their highest ranking ever, while Mexico is No. 17, one spot ahead of the U.S.

This is the second consecutive month that the U.S. has fallen in the rankings, ending a run of 11 months in the top 15. The last time the U.S. found themselves this low was last August.

The Americans' fall is likely in large part due to the devaluing of the 2013 Gold Cup. The rankings put extra weight on more recent results, especially those in the last year, and the Gold Cup is now more than a year old so their results in winning the tournament count for less in the most recent rankings. That they went 1-2-1 at the World Cup isn't doing them many favors either.

The good news for the U.S. is that the FIFA rankings mean very little. They are used for World Cup seeding and nothing more, and that the U.S. is ranked low now will not affect them in 2018. This summer's results are the only matches that will be taken into account come the next World Cup draw and by then, they will be greatly devalued because they are old so there is nothing to worry about right now, even assuming that the U.S. has a chance at being seeded.

Unsurprisingly, Germany top the rankings. Argentina is second, following by the Netherlands, Colombia and Belgium, which is the same top five as last month.