From the ArcaMax Publishing, Sports Update Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/sports/s-574443-122348
NYON, Switzerland (UPI) -- Brazil, which won the Confederations Cup
with a second-half, title-game charge, has returned to the top of the
FIFA men's world soccer rankings.
Brazil trailed the United States 2-0 at halftime of Sunday's Confed
Cup final, but Luis Fabiano scored a pair of goals and Lucio got the
game winner in the 84th minute for the championship.
The result vaulted Brazil from fifth to first in the world soccer
rankings. Brazil last was atop the rankings in August 2007.
Winning the high-profile Confederations Cup and qualifying for the
2010 World Cup led to a shake-up in the rankings' Top 10, with only
No. 4 Italy holding its position.
Spain, which had been No. 1 since June 2008, dropped to second and the
Netherlands slipped one spot to third.
After Italy is fifth-ranked Germany, which had been third. Russia
moved up three spots to sixth while England and Argentina each dropped
one spot to seventh and eighth, respectively.
France moved from 10th to ninth and Croatia, which had been eighth, is
10th.
The second-place finish at the Confed Cup, moved the Americans from
14th to 12th.
The FIFA world rankings are determined by points received from match
results over a three-year period, with more recent matches given
greater weight. Teams also get more points for playing relatively
strong opponents.