The Nations League's True Utility for the USMNT

A trophy has been unveiled. The winner of Concacaf’s new competition, the Nations League, will receive a 20.5-inch high, slender, silver-plated cup featuring four spiraling wings that represent this week's semifinalists. It all rests on a base of raw, unpolished stone that’s a fitting symbol for the region’s bedrock countries, which this tournament is supposed to benefit.

The inaugural Nations League's final four have gathered in Denver, where on Thursday evening the USA will meet Honduras before Mexico faces Costa Rica. On Sunday, the winners will play for that trophy. It’s a decent piece of hardware, and it’ll look good on a shelf. But what does it really stand for, exactly? What honor…