Southern / Scout
Player assessment · 3-match observation · development focus
Josaia Levu
Centre-back · Coral Coast FC · age 22 · right-footed · no. 4
Harbour City SC (H) W 2-1 · Lagoon Rovers (A) D 0-0 · Highlands FC (H) L 1-3
Verdict
Josaia Levu is a strong, aggressive centre-back who wins his duels in the air and on the ground and passes well out from the back — 14 aerials won to 3, 9 ground duels to 3, and 11 of 13 progressive passes completed. His off-the-line clearance at M2 55' preserved a point away at Lagoon Rovers. The one thing holding him back is his own habit of clearing long when he has time to keep the ball, and his talking stops once both home games settled — fixable, and the priority.
M2 55' · goal-saving intervention
Development priority
Turn clearing into keeping
Play him as the aggressive stepping centre-back who reads danger early and starts attacks — he is best with a partner and full-backs who step with him, because when the shape stays flat around him the ball keeps coming back.
The record
3 matches · 270 minutes · 100 logged actions · 0 unsourced claims75%
Ground duel %
82%
Aerial win %
8
Read early
1
Goal-saving interv.
33%
Clearance retention %
33%
Positive % pressed
▸All numbers
28 measures
75%
Ground duel %
9 / 3
Ground duels (W / L)
82%
Aerial win %
14 / 3
Aerials (W / L)
8
Read early
10
Def. interventions
1
Goal-saving interv.
3
Recovery runs
1
Errors → chance
33%
Clearance retention %
6 / 12
Clearances (R / C)
85%
Progressive pass %
100%
Line-breaking pass %
40%
Long ball %
5
Turnovers
21.00
Def. actions / 90
33%
Positive % pressed
77%
Positive % unpressed
0
Caught high
0
Front-on shape
0
Late to danger
0
Organised / talked
0
Lifted others
0
Bad reactions
0
Switched off
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Own goals
The clock
Every action, in the minute it happenedM1 Harbour City SCHome · W 2-1 · 90′ played · 34 actions
0′15′30′45′60′75′90′
M2 Lagoon RoversAway · D 0-0 · 90′ played · 34 actions
0′15′30′45′60′75′90′
M3 Highlands FCHome · L 1-3 · 90′ played · 32 actions
0′15′30′45′60′75′90′
Key moment — goal, assist, own goal, goal-saving intervention, error, ground duel lost, foot-race lost, bad reaction to a set-back, line-break completed or scout noteAbove the line: positiveBelow the line: negativeTurnover or errorNeutral
Strengths
501
Wins the ball in the air
He won 14 aerial duels against 3 lost across three games, 82%. Five of those wins came at defensive corners (M1 25', M1 56', M2 6', M2 33', M2 64'), so he is trusted on set pieces as well as in open play (M1 8', M1 41', M1 86'). At 22 this is a genuine strength, though at OFC level some of it is physical and worth watching as the level rises.
M1 8'M1 25'M1 56'M2 6'M2 33'M2 64'M3 5'M3 24'M3 48'
02
Reads danger early
He killed danger before it developed 8 times (RDE) and made 10 defensive interventions across the three games. This is proactive defending — stepping in early rather than reacting late — and it recurs in every match (M1 4', M2 11', M3 30'), which makes it a trait, not a good day.
M1 4'M1 48'M1 90+2'M2 11'M2 18'M2 38'M2 89'M3 30'
03
Passes well out of the back
He completed 11 of 13 progressive passes (85%) and all 4 line-breaking passes he attempted. This holds up even when pressed — he completed progressive passes under pressure at M1 28', M2 44' and M3 12', and a line-breaking pass under pressure at M2 62'. He can play, not just clear.
M1 31'M1 28'M2 29'M2 44'M2 62'M3 12'M3 38'
04
Wins ground duels
He won 9 ground duels to 3 lost, 75%, spread across all three matches (M1 20', M2 40', M3 55'). He does not shy from the physical contest and it is a reliable part of his game.
M1 20'M1 44'M1 60'M2 15'M2 40'M2 69'M3 18'M3 33'M3 55'
05
Cleared one off the line
At M2 55' he read the cutback before their striker did and cleared it off the line — the scout's note says the point survived because of him. One moment, but a decisive one, and it shows the reading strength paying off at the sharp end.
M2 55'
Limitations
401
Clears long when he could keep it
Only 6 of his 18 clearances kept the ball, 33%. The scout watched most of these and read them the same way: he had time to pick a spot but leathered it long anyway — the strike is clean, he is just not choosing a target (M1 39', M2 67', M3 15', M3 66'). This is a decision, not a technical fault. It also feeds the pattern where the ball keeps coming back at his own team.
M1 12'M1 39'M2 27'M2 67'M3 15'M3 66'M3 80'M3 87'M3 89'
02
Stops talking once games settle
In both home games his voice dropped and he drifted deeper once the game calmed. The scout's note at M1 84' records the line drifting five metres deeper without him noticing after he stopped talking. Away at Lagoon Rovers he was fine to the finish, so the scout reads this as concentration, not fitness.
M1 84'M3 66'M3 80'
03
Long balls miss more than they land
Of 5 long balls (30m+) he completed only 2, at M1 72' and M2 84', and lost 3, at M1 76', M3 72' and M3 90+2'. This sits apart from his excellent shorter passing, which suggests the long clip out is a weaker part of his range rather than a distribution problem overall.
M1 72'M1 76'M2 84'M3 72'M3 90+2'
04
Loses the ball under pressure
When pressed his numbers fall away — 33% good outcomes under pressure against 77% when not. All 5 of his turnovers came under pressure (M1 63', M2 81', M3 69', M3 77', M3 84'), three of them in the tough Highlands game, and his one error leading to a chance came pressed on his first touch at M3 44'.
M1 63'M2 81'M3 69'M3 77'M3 84'M3 44'
Coach's notes
Top 3 development points · observation → evidence → suggestion01
From clearing to keeping
Only a third of his clearances kept the ball, 6 of 18. The scout watched these and says he had time to pick a spot on most of them but hit it long anyway — the strike is clean, the choice is the problem. When the ball comes straight back, his own team is under pressure again.
M1 12'M1 39'M2 27'M2 67'M3 15'M3 66'M3 80'M3 87'
On the training groundIn defensive-third clearing drills, set a target man or a wide zone and require the clearance to find a teammate or land in that zone rather than just go far. Only clear first-time and long when a live presser forces it; otherwise he must pick out a shirt. 'Done' is when his first look under a settled clearance is for a target, not for distance.
02
Keep talking when it goes quiet
In both home games his voice dropped once the game settled and he drifted deeper. The scout's note at M1 84' has the whole line sliding five metres deeper without him noticing after he stopped organising. Away he stayed switched on to the end, so the scout reads this as concentration, not tiredness.
M1 84'M3 66'M3 80'
On the training groundThis is a conversation and a habit, not a drill. Give him an explicit trigger — every time play stops or the ball goes out in your own half, he calls the line up or holds it out loud. Ask a full-back or the keeper to flag it in real time when he goes quiet, so the feedback lands during the game rather than after.
03
Sharpen the first touch under pressure
His good-outcome rate falls from 77% unpressed to 33% pressed, all 5 turnovers came under pressure, and his one error at M3 44' was giving it straight to their number ten off a pressed first touch. Away at Lagoon Rovers he handled pressure better than at home to Highlands, so this is a real gap when the press is quick.
M1 63'M2 81'M3 44'M3 69'M3 77'M3 84'
On the training groundRehearse receiving with a presser closing from behind: server plays into him, a defender arrives on his first touch, and he must set his first touch away from the presser and either play out or take the safe long option deliberately. Grow the pressing intensity as he copes. 'Done' is a clean first touch and a decision, not a scramble.
Key moments
12 entries| Time | Action | Read |
|---|---|---|
| M1 31' | Line-breaking pass completed | |
| M1 51' | Goal scored (corner) | Scored from a corner — his aerial threat counts at both ends. |
| M1 78' | Ground duel lost | Lost a ground duel — one of only three he lost in three games. |
| M1 84' | Timestamped note | Stopped talking once the game settled — line drifted five metres deeper without him noticing |
| M2 29' | Line-breaking pass completed | |
| M2 31' | Timestamped note | Organised the offside trap twice in five minutes — clear voice, arms out, full-backs responded |
| M2 55' | Goal-saving intervention | Read the cutback before their striker did and cleared it off the line. The point survived because of him. |
| M2 62' | Line-breaking pass completed (pressed) | |
| M3 21' | Ground duel lost | Lost his first ground duel of a hard afternoon — left one-on-one with nothing in front of him. |
| M3 38' | Line-breaking pass completed | |
| M3 44' | Error leading to a chance (pressed) | Pressed on his first touch and gave it straight to their ten — his one real mistake in three games. |
| M3 82' | Ground duel lost | Lost a ground duel late in a hard afternoon at Highlands. |
Rewarded or not
needs more evidenceOnly 1 qualified action with a why tapped — this split needs at least 3 to be worth reading.
Attributes
Scout rubric · 1–5 · across the coverageAerial defending4.0
Ground duels / 1v14.0
Reading & anticipation4.0
Distribution — short & progressive4.0
Starting position & body shape3.0
Recovery pace3.0
Decision making3.0
Concentration & scanning3.0
Organisation & communication3.0
Long passing & switches2.0
Composure under pressure2.0
Reaction to error—
Scout's judgement, not measured data. 11 of 12 attributes scored across 3 matches. Not normalised against a peer group — these describe this player, they do not rank them.
Projection
—
On this small sample Levu looks a dependable OFC-level centre-back with room to become more than that: the aerial and ground duel-winning, the early reading and the passing out from the back are all above the standard for this level. The ceiling rises if he learns to keep the ball when he clears it and to stay loud through quiet spells — both are decisions and habits, not talent limits, so they are coachable now. The risk in a three-match read is that some of his aerial dominance is physical rather than earned, and that his composure under a quick press, weakest in the Highlands loss, gets exposed more often against better opposition. Watch how he copes when pressed hard and when his own team gives him no cover.
Prepared by D. Ferreira · 2026-07-14
Source: Full-match footage. 270 minutes across 3 fixtures. Patterns recurring across matches are treated as traits; one-off events are treated as such.
Every assessment in this report is traceable to a timestamped action in the full capture.
Where the record is incomplete, it says so.