The US national team slid further in the latest edition of the FIFA World Rankings, falling six spots to No. 23 on the planet, good for third-best among CONCACAF nations as Costa Rica and Mexico came in at 16th and 17th, respectively. Canada are ranked No. 122, a drop of two places.
The USMNT have played two friendlies since finishing 17th in the September rankings, back-to-back 1-1 draws with Ecuador and Honduras. The October list places Jurgen Klinsmann's side just behind the Czech Republic, whom they defeated 1-0 in Prague on Sept. 3.
Dramatic gains were made by members of other continental federations with busier schedules, but CONCACAF did see Trinidad & Tobago rejoin the world's top 50, moving up 37 spots to 49th. Meanwhile Costa Rica continued to ride on the momentum of their strong World Cup campaign and Mexico kept pace after a Round-of-16 exit in Brazil. CONCACAF presently hold the fourth-most top-50 spots of any confederation, trailing Europe, Africa and South America.
The USMNT held the title of top-ranked CONCACAF team from August 2013 through July 2014 before their current slide kicked in. They climbed as high as No. 13 in June 2014, the high-water mark of Klinsmann's tenure. The USA's recent low was No. 36, a spot occupied in July and August 2012.
