Fay wrote: How can the USA rank above the likes of England, Italy and Germany?
It's due to lack of competitive games, i.e. not many to score points from, or lose ranking points from. England has lost three competitive games in the last four years, to Brazil, Portugal, and erm Northern Ireland. USA might have lost one, which would have been the last World Cup.
The imminent World Cup should re-shuffle this, although FIFA do seriously need to sort out the North American qualifying group; at the moment it is very relaxed, on the basis that it is good commercially for the USA to be there (which is understandable).
