PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago are back as the top team in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) for the first time in eight months, unseating Jamaica in the latest ratings.
On the strength of a two-place jump in the FIFA Coca Cola June rankings to No.72, the T&T Soca Warriors vaulted above the Reggae Boyz, who slid six places from their position in May to 76th on the world list.
T&T last held the top rating in the CFU in October last year and were No.2 every month since then until now.
Jamaica, the reigning Digicel Caribbean Champions, had been the CFU’s No.1 for six consecutive months from December last year.
T&T had no matches during the period for the latest ratings adjustments while the Jamaicans drew two friendly matches — against Haiti (2-2) and El Salvador (0-0).
Cuba, 99th on FIFA’s list, remain No.3 for the seventh month in a row and Grenada, who were runners-up to Jamaica in the Digicel Championship last December, retain fourth position.
Antigua and Barbuda climbed two places to 114th on FIFA’s list and are now up to joint fifth with Bermuda in the CFU, followed by Barbados (120th) and Suriname (123rd) at seventh and eighth, respectively.
Haiti, who started the year at No.4 in the CFU, continued their slide and are now ninth in the region after a two-place drop to 124th in FIFA.
The Haitians, who were voted the CFU’s Team of the Year in 2007, had dropped out of the CFU’s top five in April, and were eighth last month.
The Guyanese, 127th in the world, complete the region’s Top 10 at 10th.
The USA – up one place to 14th in the world — are CONCACAF’s No.1 for the ninth month in a row ahead of Mexico, who are 26th on the FIFA list, followed by Honduras (35th), Costa Rica (41st), and Panama (61st).
Trinidad and Tobago are sixth in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), followed by Jamaica, Canada (83rd) and Cuba.
FIFA’s 2008 “Team of the Year” Spain maintain their label as the world’s No.1 side, while the Netherlands have moved up to second, relegating Germany to No.3.
Italy moved up to fourth and Brazil slipped to fifth and England are up one place to sixth, displacing Argentina.
Caribbean Football Union June 2009 Rankings (FIFA Rankings in bracket)
1 Trinidad & Tobago (72)
2 Jamaica (76)
3 Cuba (99)
4 Grenada (102)
5=Antigua & Barbuda (114)
5=Bermuda (114)
7 Barbados (120)
8 Suriname (123)
9 Haiti (124)
10 Guyana (127)
11 Netherlands Antilles (145)
12=St Kitts & Nevis (151)
12=Puerto Rico (151)
14 St Vincent & the Grenadines (153)
15 Cayman Islands (169)
16 Bahamas (181)
17 Turks & Caicos Islands (182)
18 Dominican Republic (186)
19 St Lucia (189)
20 British Virgin Islands (192)
21 Aruba (195)
22 Dominica (197)
23 US Virgin Islands (199)
24=Anguilla (202)
24=Montserrat (202)