Rankings, Revs and Rapids

We have all conditioned ourselves not to pay any attention to the FIFA rankings. However.....

*Despite beating Sweden and tying Mexico, the USA has dropped six slots to No. 26 on the latest list. How does this happen? It's a moving average, which means, with each new calculation, matches from a few years ago are dropped from consideration. Whatever. Fortunately, soccer is decided by the players, not by the computers (how we love the BCS). As bad as it was for the U.S. team, it could've been much worse -- Nigeria tumbled 26 slots in one month!

The complete rankings are here.

*Reports from Costa Rica say New England is in negotiations with Saprissa defender Gabriel Badilla, but from what I hear, the sides are too far apart financially. The deal could still happen, but at the moment, it doesn't look good.

*No surprise since preseason camps are now underway, but sources say Colorado has taken veteran MF-D Pablo Mastroeni off the trade market after engaging in serious negotiations with several clubs last month, particularly in the days before the draft.

*In non-MLS news, USL2's Crystal Palace USA has announced that it will host home matches at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Catonsville after playing most of its games during the club's inaugural season at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.