Community Corner: Should the USMNT take CONCACAF Nations League seriously?

This fall, CONCACAF Nations League will debut and all 41 teams in the region will begin play with the hope of either winning the Nations League trophy in League A or earning promotion to the league above them. The United States Men’s National Team are in League A’s Group A, where they will compete in a double round robin against Canada and Cuba. The matches featuring the United States begin in October.

CONCACAF Nations League is an official competition, where players can be cap-tied if they play similar to World Cup qualifying, the Gold Cup, or the World Cup. There is a trophy at stake for League A participants, including the USMNT. However, will it be a competition that the USMNT takes seriously? And should they take it seriously? They could call in their best players, with head coach Gregg Berhalter employing his A lineup to try and make a run at the Nations League title. Or, he could use it as a way to further evaluate younger players in the USMNT player pool and even try to cap-tie any player that is on the cusp of the national team but still has options elsewhere. Even further, Berhalter could consider these matches glorified friendlies with nothing real at stake and set his rosters and lineups accordingly, risking relegation to League B if they do poorly.

So, we ask you the question: should the USMNT take Nations League seriously with their best lineups and trying to win the inaugural League A competition? Should they approach it the same way they would approach January Camp? Or, is it something in the middle? Hit the comments and let us know what you think of CONCACAF Nations League and how the USMNT should play it.