FIFA rankings: October

It seems wrong to be paying close attention to the release every month of FIFA's national team rankings. Yet I find myself in that very uncomfortable position, because it is very likely that these statistically quite imperfect ratings will bring themselves to bear on Canada's fortunes in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

In short, it is important that Canada maintains a good ranking. For that reason, this month's move from 88 to 83 overall, is a good thing not to be written off as insignificant. (If you click through on the link to the CBC story, you'll find a picture of Dwayne De Rosario, a man who hasn't contributed to a Canada win in over two years).

Of greater importance is Canada's position in CONCACAF. And there is good news on that front as well. Although we remain 7th in that table, Canada is far closer (a mere 5 points, in fact!) to leapfrogging Jamaica for 6th than dropping into 8th or worse. A quick look:

Ranking	Zonal Ranking	Team	Pts Oct 10	+/- Ranking Sep 10		+/- Pts Sep 10
25	1	USA	838	-7		-61
28	2	Mexico	786	0		-9
54	3	Honduras	540	-2		-25
59	4	Panama	515	11		28
66	5	Costa Rica	490	-13		-71
79	6	Jamaica	412	-3		-13
83	7	Canada	407	5		47
98	8	Guyana	330	22		148
106	9	Trinidad and Tobago	302	-9		-25
107	10	Barbados	287	14		107
113	11	Suriname	261	24		128
114	12	El Salvador	245	-4		-8
121	13	Cuba	218	-8		0
122	14	Guatemala	214	-7		0

(Yes, I left out more than half the teams in the confederation. They are not good).

So, even if I can't find the time or motivation to post about anything else in the next month, you can expect a rankings update sometime on or soon after November 17th, when the next edition comes out).