PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Trinidad and Tobago's (T&T) Soca Warriors remained a clear No. 1 in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rankings and Guyana snatched an all-time best position when FIFA's Coca-Cola world ratings for August were released yesterday.

The 2006 World Cup (Finals) qualifiers secured a two-spot rise on FIFA's world list to 63rd, a hefty 25 spots ahead of their nearest CFU rivals in the world ratings.

Haiti improved four places to become the new second-ranked team with a No. 88 FIFA ranking, and improving Guyana, now 90th in the world, made a 10-place jump to be No. 3 in the CFU.

Guyana's position is their best ever in FIFA's world ranking.

The Cubans - relegated from No. 2 in the region - are now No. 4 with a No. 91 FIFA label.

Two-place drop

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz, who have enjoyed the most monthly positions at CFU's No. 1 spot in the recent years, have slid to No. 5 in the region after a two-place drop on the world list to No. 95, a mere one spot below their lowest ever rating.

Now coached by the famous Yugoslav-born Bora Milutinovic, the Jamaicans have an average position - since the world ranking creation - of 52 and are anxious to recover their customary midway spot on the Top-100 world list.

The Jamaicans had plunged from No. 68 in June to 93rd last month as a result of huge losses to Iran (1-8), Vietnam (0-3) and Indonesia (1-2) during their recent Asian tour.

The biggest climbers in August are newly crowned Asian champions Iraq, surging 16 places to No. 64 in the world.

Of all the teams rated in FIFA's Top-100, Iraq were the only side making a bigger leap than the Guyanese, who have enjoyed steady progress in the past year under Trinidadian coach Jamaal Shabbaz.

CFU's top 10

Apart from the reshuffling of the top five teams, the CFU's Top-10 is the same as it was in July, with St. Vincent & the Grenadines, 104th on the world list, remaining sixth on the CFU log, which is completed by Barbados, 119th in the world, Suriname (123rd), and Bermuda (130th), with Antigua & Barbuda (131st) in 10th position.

T&T, eight-time Caribbean champions, are now up to sixth in the CONCACAF (Con-federation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) ratings.

Mexico, semi-finalists at last month's Copa America, kept their No. 1 spot in CONCACA they slipped one place on FIFA's world list to No. 11.

The U.S.A. stayed second with a world rating of 17th.

CONCACAF's No. 3 team is Costa Rica, at 52nd in the world, followed by Canada (53rd), Honduras (57th) and T&T.

Meanwhile, Brazil stayed top of the world in no change to the top five, with Argentina - whipped 3-0 by the Brazilians in the Copa America final - at No. 2. The Italians are at three, followed by France and Germany.