I'm hoping for an England/Netherlands final.

Because then at least ONE bad streak would have to end.

I love the US, but I'm not sure 14 is the right place for them. Yeah, great run in the Confed Cup, but they need to prove they belong in the top 15 a little more. This rankings may make more sense *after* WC2010.

God ESPN really needs some competition. They actually had "future power rankings" for NBA teams yesterday. So basically, made up bullshiat wasn't enough, they had to make made up bullshiat predictions about what the made up bullshiat was going to be.

Contrabulous Flabtraption: God ESPN really needs some competition. They actually had "future power rankings" for NBA teams yesterday. So basically, made up bullshiat wasn't enough, they had to make made up bullshiat predictions about what the made up bullshiat was going to be.

Meh, it's Nate Silver. He's proven to be good at stats, and they have the link to the page where he explains the methodology. There seems to be a lot more to this than "let's pull this out of our asses."

But yeah, it only gets you so far.

Not brought to you by Carl's, Jr.?

I've always found SI.com's soccer page to be much more interesting and readable than espn's.

ESPN seems to be trying to lure the hard core fans of the big European leagues, whereas SI covers the big leagues and also focuses on Team USA, MLS, and South America more.

England at 3 is a joke as is Argentina at 5.

I don't care how much talent Argentina has, until they can Maradona, they're not going anywhere.

How is Argentina #5??? They're barely qualifying for the World Cup and Maradona's a psycho, absolutely ridiculous.

/Love England, but 3 is way too high. Yes, Capello's done a great job with the qualifying, but it means fark all unless we win something.
//40 years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming...

MugzyBrown: England at 3 is a joke as is Argentina at 5.

I don't care how much talent Argentina has, until they can Maradona, they're not going anywhere.

A-Farking men. The Limeys are out in the quarters again, Argentina gets stuck in the Group of Death and are out, and the Brazilians win ugly but they still win, causing everyone to complain about it. Spain and the Dutch fark it all up again.

ESPN happened to put the most popular teams at the top of the list, regardless of actual performance?


NO WAI!

spqr2001: I love the US, but I'm not sure 14 is the right place for them. Yeah, great run in the Confed Cup, but they need to prove they belong in the top 15 a little more. This rankings may make more sense *after* WC2010.

I like the US's chances against any team below them (on a neutral field, i.e., not Azteca or Saprissa). It's kind of a schizo team, in that it beat Spain and had a strong lead on Brazil, but also blew that lead and had to struggle to beat lesser teams at home in qualifying. But there is a good amount of potential, and if things come together and they get a favorable draw, it might be a fun World Cup.

Interesting? Soccer? Somebody missed the "asinine" or "fail" tags.

Americanize? Apparently subby hasnt seen the European Military Power Rankings of the 18th Century.

/Go Netherlands

Necrocide: Interesting? Soccer? Somebody missed the "asinine" or "fail" tags.

Big talk for an admitted fan of wrestling.

This guy?

MugzyBrown: England at 3 is a joke as is Argentina at 5.

I don't care how much talent Argentina has, until they can Maradona, they're not going anywhere.

They accidentally the whole guy?

// yes, I know what you meant, but that's how I read it at first

chechcal: Necrocide: Interesting? Soccer? Somebody missed the "asinine" or "fail" tags.

Big talk for an admitted fan of wrestling.

Burned!

as someone who knows nothing about world soccer, this is interesting. Uruguay and Ivory Coast at 10 and 11 in the world? Really?

Came here for the "lulz, Argentina #5, wtf"

/etc etc

SlothB77: as someone who knows nothing about world soccer, this is interesting. Uruguay and Ivory Coast at 10 and 11 in the world? Really?

The Ivory Coast has produced quite a few really strong players, and all of them play for top European leagues, the best of which is Didier Drogba, one of the best strikers in the world. Unfortunately, he's also a petulant ass that pretty much embodies many of the "grass diver" stereotypes people have about soccer players.

SlothB77: as someone who knows nothing about world soccer, this is interesting. Uruguay and Ivory Coast at 10 and 11 in the world? Really?

I'm convinced that Ivory Coast is there because ESPN has a crush on Didier Drogba like everyone else does.

According to the coefficients of what games count for what amount of points on their "explaining the SPI" page, Oceania seems to be ranked ahead of CONCACAF. So, to put it another way, New Zealand is better than the US, and Fiji is better than Mexico.

cameroncrazy1984: I'm convinced that Ivory Coast is there because ESPN has a crush on Didier Drogba like everyone else does.

This is a Nate Silver statistical/computer ranking system. I doubt FOOTIERANKBOT 5000 has any clue who Drogba is.

cameroncrazy1984: SlothB77: as someone who knows nothing about world soccer, this is interesting. Uruguay and Ivory Coast at 10 and 11 in the world? Really?

I'm convinced that Ivory Coast is there because ESPN has a crush on Didier Drogba like everyone else does.

Ever heard of Yaya Toure? He plays for this small club in Spain called FC Barcelona. Maybe you've heard of his brother Kolo or of Salomon Kalou and Emmanuel Eboue.

Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rolla: According to the coefficients of what games count for what amount of points on their "explaining the SPI" page, Oceania seems to be ranked ahead of CONCACAF. So, to put it another way, New Zealand is better than the US, and Fiji is better than Mexico.

That's not how the SPI works. All those numbers are saying is that Oceania squads are slightly more likely to be playing with their best players / having to play to win than CONCACAF squads (many of the Concacaf qualifying games in the early rounds were mismatches).

chechcal: spqr2001: I love the US, but I'm not sure 14 is the right place for them. Yeah, great run in the Confed Cup, but they need to prove they belong in the top 15 a little more. This rankings may make more sense *after* WC2010.

I like the US's chances against any team below them (on a neutral field, i.e., not Azteca or Saprissa). It's kind of a schizo team, in that it beat Spain and had a strong lead on Brazil, but also blew that lead and had to struggle to beat lesser teams at home in qualifying. But there is a good amount of potential, and if things come together and they get a favorable draw, it might be a fun World Cup.

That is my problem with the US team. They can rise to the occasion against the big boys and put in quite a show, then go out and struggle to beat the Penguins of Antarctica. They need to be a bit more consistent to be in the top 15.

I, too, agree with Argentina in the top 5. No wai. I think Germany is a stronger team. The rest of the list is a little strange because of the way the qualifying has been playing out. France is a better team than they have been showing, but I'm not sure that Portugal is. I am pleased with the ranking for England, but we'll have to see what happens when everything matters next summer. Right now, however, they are in pretty good form.

spqr2001:

They can rise to the occasion against the big boys and put in quite a show, then go out and struggle to beat the Penguins of Antarctica.

You really have to give the US a break on that poor showing. The penguins were squirting shiat all over the pitch! How is that either fair OR easy to defend against?

The letter I in ESPN's font does not do well in that SPI logo...

England 3, Argentina 5, Chile 8, Uruguay 10, Ivory Coast 11.. He's got each one of these teams about 5 spots too high.

With Davies out and Gooch gone for most of the year, I will be surprised if we make it out of the first round.

chiark: The letter I in ESPN's font does not do well in that SPI logo...

Penis!

Off to a bad start:

Brazil: Has been No. 1 for the past year and steadily moved up in the 12 months before that.

Uh, no. Brazil has been No. 1 for the past few months, thanks to the US spanking Spain at the Confederations Cup.

I'll be honest ... I didn't read past that. When your Weeners is factually inaccurate, I lose interest pretty quickly.

Ed_Severson: Off to a bad start:

Brazil: Has been No. 1 for the past year and steadily moved up in the 12 months before that.

Uh, no. Brazil has been No. 1 for the past few months, thanks to the US spanking Spain at the Confederations Cup.

I'll be honest ... I didn't read past that. When your Weeners is factually inaccurate, I lose interest pretty quickly.

I took that to mean in THESE rankings, not in the FIFA rankings.

Again, Silver has proven himself with his baseball and political poll models. Not to say this is going to be perfect, but I'd trust something like this coming from him more than I would from most people.

Ed_Severson:

I'll be honest ... I didn't read past that. When your Weeners is factually inaccurate, I lose interest pretty quickly.


That's why I always make sure my weener is fully versed in any topic it is debating.

FreakinB: I took that to mean in THESE rankings, not in the FIFA rankings.

If that's the case, then submitter's categorization of these rankings as "initial" is inaccurate, and perhaps I should continue reading so I, too, can laugh at the idea of Argentina as fifth-best in the world. They're barely the fifth-best club in CONMEBOL.

/God damned filter ... forgot about the "earlier than second comments" goblin

I don't understand, is it World Cup time again?

chechcal: I like the US's chances against any team below them (on a neutral field, i.e., not Azteca or Saprissa). It's kind of a schizo team, in that it beat Spain and had a strong lead on Brazil, but also blew that lead and had to struggle to beat lesser teams at home in qualifying. But there is a good amount of potential, and if things come together and they get a favorable draw, it might be a fun World Cup.

I agree. Unfortunately, the fact we always seem to end up in "The Group of Death" never seems to help matters. However, the team I saw against Spain looked like a team that could take on anybody in world. The issue is what kind of shape Onyewu and DeMerit will be in by the time the WC begins. In the last two games of the Confed Cup they owned anything in the air and this was against Brazil and Spain. Having those guys back will be critical. Charlie will missed and is hard to replace. Maybe put Dempsey there?



Also it is a real tragedy with Germany losing their possible starting goalkeeper to suicide.

Ed_Severson: FreakinB: I took that to mean in THESE rankings, not in the FIFA rankings.

If that's the case, then submitter's categorization of these rankings as "initial" is inaccurate, and perhaps I should continue reading so I, too, can laugh at the idea of Argentina as fifth-best in the world. They're barely the fifth-best club in CONMEBOL.

/God damned filter ... forgot about the "earlier than second comments" goblin

It's the first time they put them out, but I'm sure it took a while to develop the formula. Or maybe he ran them retroactively. Who knows? But like you said, that statement is factually inaccurate and easily called-out, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

/aforementioned submitter

Portugal looks pretty at seven but I expect that ranking to dive soon.

"Soccer Power Index"?


Someone needs a cockpunch for that name.

samiwas: Portugal looks pretty at seven but I expect that ranking to dive soon.

I see what you did there.

Where is the United States of Stevie Ray Vaughn? List is bullshiat

I have always felt the world would be a better place with a little more Americanization. Heck soccer might even become a legitimate sport with more Americanization.

How funny. 10 minutes ago the guide referred to Columbus Clippers as the Yankees triple-A affiliate. But now it is corrected.

No one here will care but I noticed Egypt over Algeria. Makes no sense at all because Egypt will probably lose out on a spot because their fellow North Africans. Plus, WTF is Argentina doing that high up, Maradona is an awful coach.

Oranje! Hup Holland! Will our pain never end? Probably not.

hasty ambush: I have always felt the world would be a better place with a little more Americanization. Heck soccer might even become a legitimate sport with more Americanization.

First you'd need to take a TV timeout every 3 minutes, or at least enough of them to extend the telecasts to 3+ hours. Second, you'd need complicated rule changes every season for the officials to deal with - also, you need to add a bunch more officials to make sure that the field of play is cluttered enough.

omg ESPN's American website uses American terminology? Someone call the UN quick!

Power rankings by media blowhards. First step on the road towards a unified championship.

yelmrog: also, you need to add a bunch more officials to make sure that the field of play is cluttered enough.

We're up to six now in the Europa League (where no landings should be attempted).