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ZURICH, Switzerland -- The United States moved up 13 spots
to 16th place in the June FIFA rankings following a strong start in
the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Americans reached their highest ranking at No. 4 in April
2006, then dropped steadily to as low as 31st from November to
January after their first-round elimination in the World Cup and a
seven-month layoff. The latest rankings, released Wednesday, included the Americans'
first two games in the Gold Cup, the championship of North and
Central America and the Caribbean. The United States, the defending
champion, plays in the quarterfinals Saturday. World Cup champion Italy remained No. 1 for the third straight
month and World Cup runner-up France moved past Brazil into second
for the first time since September. Brazil dropped as low as third
for the first time since March 2002. Germany climbed one spot to fourth, its highest ranking since
May 2003. Argentina, ranked No. 1 in March, fell two spots to
fifth. Portugal, Spain, England, the Netherlands and the Czech
Republic completed the top 10. Mexico dropped six places to 26th, while Costa Rica moved up six
spots to 46th.
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