By Matt Schofield, a member of The Star's Editorial Board

Having watched and rewatched the last couple United States national soccer team matches, I've come to a simple conclusion: The current coach, Bob Bradley, is in over his head and needs to be fired.

Bradley, perhaps remembered by American soccer fans best for winning an MLS championship with Chicago in 1998, has recently been putting a U.S. team on the field that doesn't seem to care, doesn't seem to have any direction, and doesn't seem to be building towards anything.

True, it's only soccer, and sports is the candy store, etc.

But in economic times such as these, a bit of candy is important.

Now, no American soccer fan expected Bradley's U.S. team to beat Italy and Brazil in the Confederations cup now going on in South Africa. And the combined score of 6-1 against might even be reasonable. As U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard noted, "Sometimes David goes up against Goliath, and Goliath wins."

But the team looks as if it's sleepwalking through games recently. They're giving up early goals, again and again (against Costa Rica, Honduras, Brazil), a cardinal sin in the game. It's also a sure sign of a lack of a good gameplan.

Television announcers keep noting that early goals mess up a gameplan. That misses the point: The gameplan is to prevent early goals.

The U.S. team looks lost and directionless right now.

The fact is, in the past, the U.S. has played with teams that are regarded as far less talented, and made games out of such lopsided matchups. In 1994, during an actual World Cup, even a second round game against eventual champions Brazil, we lost 1-0. But the team fought all the way through that game.

This is a team with Americans making their livings playing top European leagues, with Landon Donovan, as talented a player the U.S. has produced, in the prime of his career.

American fans can't expect nothing but glory. But they can expect passion and commitment from a team that wears an American flag on its chest.

The World Cup is one year away, and while Bradley has done a decent job of putting the United States in a position to qualify for it, he's created no confidence that his team will look like it belongs.

Instead, this team is rolling over and taking beatings. And that's down to the coach.

It's time to find a new one.