USA FIFA rankings ?

[ucjoet]

As of early June the USA Mens team was ranked 27th in the world. They then beat Germany and The Netherlands ( top 5 teams) and they just beat Honduras. I checked the rankings today and they are ranked 34th. Don't understand this. Anyone with more soccer knowledge then I , please let me know your thoughts.

 

[SubbaBub]

The rankings are a formula published on FIFA'S website. The biggest flaw is that games against UEFA teams, any teams is heavily weighted vs other confederations.

They also cover a specific period of time. I doubt the latest rankings include the us wins. Even if they didn't friendlies are the worth the least. With the UEFA qualifying underway neither win will hold much sway.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

As of early June the USA Mens team was ranked 27th in the world. They then beat Germany and The Netherlands ( top 5 teams) and they just beat Honduras. I checked the rankings today and they are ranked 34th. Don't understand this. Anyone with more soccer knowledge then I , please let me know your thoughts.

It's FIFA the same organization that managed to pick a dry (as in booze) desert country the size of Rhode Island to host a World Cup in the summer and then denied such as selection was built on corruption. Thus, it would be shock if the rankings did make any sense.

 

[SAMCRO]

Those are in fact the most recent rankings, just released this morning (so they include US wins over Netherlamds, Germany, Guatemala, and possibly Honduras. The U.S. fell 7 spots from 27th to 34th. It really makes no sense. I thought they'd move up a few spots at least. For comparison sake, Ghana beat Mauritius and Togo, lost to Zambia in the same time frame and they moved up 9 spots to 25th.

 

[spsct]

The system is really flawed, but everyone knew that.

Because the US wins were friendlies (I don't know if the Gold cup win counts in the current ranking) they are only weighted 1 time. UEFA qualifiers are weighted 2.5 times. The African and Asian teams are also in some qualifiers or tournament, I think, so they are also have a jacked value.

So a win (3 points) against Germany in a friendly is worth 597 points ((200-1) * 3 * 1), but a UEFA qualifying win against the number 50 team in the world is worth 1125 ((200-50) *3 * 2.5) points. So a win in UEFA qualifying against the number 120 team in the world generates the same number of points as our friendly win against Germany.

They also average all of the wins, so a couple of big wins (Germany + Netherlands) plus a win against crappy Guatemala, actually pulls the average down.

My numbers might not be 100% correct but I think the jist is.

IMO higher CONCACAF teams (USA, Mexico, Costa Rica) are always going to be screwed because they don't have to qualify for the Gold Cup and when we do play tournaments or WC qualifiers they are against lower ranked teams so we never have a chance to jack up our rankings. We pretty much have 1 chance every four years to help ourselves.

 

[progrocks]

lack of qualifying games is what hurts us. oh well, it is what it is.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Here's a good explination from Yahoo Sports. Still makes no sense; but, it makes it clear where the rankings came from. Kind of reminds me of the APR game in NCAA college basketball. Teams who can game the system win.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fifas-horribly-flawed-ranking-system-220246014.html

 

[meyers7]

I tend to not pay too much attention to the FIFA rankings. Sometimes it can give you a general idea, but as has been said doesn't make much sense.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I tend to not pay too much attention to the FIFA rankings. Sometimes it can give you a general idea, but as has been said doesn't make much sense.

Same here until the Wold Cup Draw happens as FIFA uses the rankings to seed teams, which almost always results in the US getting stuck in the Group of Death. As as added bonus for the 2014 Cup in Brazil, the US got 1) The Group of Death, 2) had to play in Manaus, and 3) had to travel the most miles. I am very afraid about the gauntlet that FIFA will throw at the USMNT in Russia in 2018 as a result of the US unleashing the FBI on FIFA this year.

 

[John]

Same here until the Wold Cup Draw happens as FIFA uses the rankings to seed teams, which almost always results in the US getting stuck in the Group of Death. As as added bonus for the 2014 Cup in Brazil, the US got 1) The Group of Death, 2) had to play in Manaus, and 3) had to travel the most miles. I am very afraid about the gauntlet that FIFA will throw at the USMNT in Russia in 2018 as a result of the US unleashing the FBI on FIFA this year.

eh, f* c k em.

 

[ZooCougar]

Those are in fact the most recent rankings, just released this morning (so they include US wins over Netherlamds, Germany, Guatemala, and possibly Honduras. The U.S. fell 7 spots from 27th to 34th. It really makes no sense. I thought they'd move up a few spots at least. For comparison sake, Ghana beat Mauritius and Togo, lost to Zambia in the same time frame and they moved up 9 spots to 25th.

The reason for the drop is that every result last year since the end of the World Cup is a year old and only counts half as much as before.

We haven't played anything but friendlies up until the Gold Cup. Friendlies do not count for much.

 

[Jaker]

Same here until the Wold Cup Draw happens as FIFA uses the rankings to seed teams, which almost always results in the US getting stuck in the Group of Death. As as added bonus for the 2014 Cup in Brazil, the US got 1) The Group of Death, 2) had to play in Manaus, and 3) had to travel the most miles. I am very afraid about the gauntlet that FIFA will throw at the USMNT in Russia in 2018 as a result of the US unleashing the FBI on FIFA this year.

Hopefully there will be some kind of restriction on the distance of travel in Russia, literally could have games like 3000 miles apart. LOL

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Hopefully there will be some kind of restriction on the distance of travel in Russia, literally could have games like 3000 miles apart. LOL

I am 100% sure that the US will have to track out to Yekaterinburg for a match, like after a game in Sochi or St. Petersburg, which are about 1,400 miles apart. Yekaterinburg is basically on the edge of Siberia, so think of it as the Manaus of the 2018 World Cup , except instead of 90 F and 100% humidity, it will be 40 F and snowing.

 

[meyers7]

I am 100% sure that the US will have to track out to Yekaterinburg for a match, like after a game in Sochi or St. Petersburg, which are about 1,400 miles apart. Yekaterinburg is basically on the edge of Siberia, so think of it as the Manaus of the 2018 World Cup , except instead of 90 F and 100% humidity, it will be 40 F and snowing.

We do fine in that kind of weather. Ask Costa Rica.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

We do fine in that kind of weather. Ask Costa Rica.

One of the most insane and fun Cup qualifiers I have seen. And yet, knowing what most Central American teams put the USMNT through every time we visit, no sympathy whatsoever.