'Absolutely fine with it' - Former USMNT star Herculez Gomez says Mauricio Pochettino's side deserves higher FIFA world ranking than Nations League winner Mexico

In the latest FIFA world rankings, the USMNT held steady at No. 16, one spot ahead of Mexico, even after Maurico Pochettino's side turned in a disappointing performance in the recent CONCACAF Nations League. The U.S. lost to both Panama and Canada, while Mexico won the tournament.

But that didn't convince ESPN analyst and former USMNT player Herculez Gomez that FIFA got it wrong.

“Absolutely fine with it,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast when asked about the Americans ranking one spot above Mexico. “I would be fine if it was Mexico over the U.S. men’s national team, because of what these rankings are. It’s such a sliding scale when it comes to these rankings. It’s by the number of games you play and the level of competition, where they played, etc.

"So a team like Mexico, who has many of their games in a calendar year in the United States against lower opposition, could easily surpass the USMNT, who won’t play as many games. Sometimes they send the U23 team to Chicago to play against Bolivia, and that’s going to count towards the rankings, so it doesn’t matter."

The ESPN analyst and 24-cap USMNT striker argued that rankings are legitimate, given Mexico’s long-term struggles in multiple competitions.

“If you’re asking me if I think rankings-wise they [USMNT] should be ahead of Mexico? I do," Gomez said. "I mean you’re talking about a Mexico team - let’s go back and see what the last few years has been for Mexico. They didn’t win the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, that was Canada. They didn’t make it out of the Group stages in the World Cup. They lost a Gold Cup before that, I believe, to the U.S. - with the U.S. B team.

“They won a Gold Cup, they didn’t make it out of the group in the Copa America... They’ve lost countless Nations League to the U.S. And thus, there’s no way, in my eyes, that Mexico is better for winning a Nations League.“

The discussion takes place after the Nations League, which Mexico won by beating Panama in the final. The U.S. has maintained its position in the rankings, largely due to FIFA's ELO-style formula that doesn't significantly penalize teams for losses in knockout rounds of official tournaments.

Mexico moved up two spots to No. 17 while runners-up Panama also climbed three spots to No. 33. After defeating the USMNT in the third-place match, Canada moved up one spot to No. 30, their highest-ever ranking.

The USMNT and Mexico will both play in the 2025 Gold Cup, which runs from June 14 until July 6. Prior to that, both sides will face Switzerland and Turkey in friendlies in June.