USMNT’s Position in FIFA’s Latest Men’s Rankings Sparks Backlash

The ranking did not sit well with fans, and the backlash came quickly.

"Lol. US should be outside the top 30. FIFA's a joke," one fan wrote.

"We're not the 16th best team in world football." Another wasn't buying it either.

"US needs to be knocked down a bunch, especially after seeing recent matches," one supporter shared.

"USA is way too high," wrote another. One fan went further: "These rankings are even more worthless than the college football rankings."

"England is too high. Italy should be removed from Top 25. USA should be 25th - 28th place. The rest are fine." Even the broader picture drew comment.

The 5-2 loss to Belgium was the more alarming of the two. The back line had no answer for the pressure coming at them, defensive gaps kept opening up, and the team showed almost no ability to adjust as the game got away from them.

Most recently, Portugal closed it out. No Cristiano Ronaldo in their lineup, and the Americans still couldn't generate anything meaningful going forward or hold their defensive shape.

Some individual performances offered a sliver of optimism, but the tactical and structural problems were hard to ignore. Both opponents ranked in the top 10 globally.

The schedule ahead gives Pochettino almost no runway to sort things out. The United States faces Senegal on May 31 and then Germany on June 6 before the tournament begins.

The U.S. already had its place secured as an automatic qualifier in Group D. The World Cup run begins June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles against Paraguay, with kickoff at 9 p.m. ET on FOX. From there, the team heads to Seattle to face Australia on June 19 at Lumen Field at 3 p.m. ET. The group stage closes out June 25 back in Los Angeles against Turkiye at SoFi Stadium, kicking off at 10 p.m. ET on FOX.

The stage is set. Whether this team is ready for it is another matter.