When it counted most, top-ranked Barcelona came through

So the Mexican federation has pulled out of South American tournaments. That's a bummer for our purposes here in Rankingsville, because it's much easier to gauge the worthiness of Mexican clubs against the likes of strong South American teams in the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana. It becomes much harder to justify putting a club, like Pachuca, on here when it's beating up on the Houston Dynamo and Joe Public FC instead of going toe-to-toe with Boca Juniors or Flamengo.

On the bright side, this change may inject some immediacy into our own CONCACAF Champions League ... if the confederation figures out a way to do it right. And only if -- and I'd wager this is by no means a final decision -- this Mexican standoff actually lasts.

In the meantime, we've got some Rankings to do. For more of my random thoughts -- footie, baseball and otherwise -- follow me on Twitter at jonahfreedman.

Note: All rankings, records and statistics are through May 13.

World Soccer Power Rankings