Melanie Barcenas
San Diego Wave FC · Winger · Box Forward
Winger2026 seasonUSAage 18.7586 minBox Forward
The shape of Melanie's game is unusually clear: 98th percentile for shooting, 0th for passing, and she is only 18.7.
In plain EnglishGets a shot away about every 23 minutes.
-0.050
goals added / 96
27th
percentile in position
-0.025
2027 projection
$76,290
cap-implied wage, 2025
$87,090
forward implied wage
Contribution profilepercentile within position
Above the 65th percentile in shooting, discipline, receiving / positioning. Below the 35th in passing.
Style metrics2026 season
| Share of team touches | 3.6% |
| Average pass distance | 14.9 yds |
| Average pass verticality | 1.9 yds |
| Pass difficulty attempted | 22.4% |
| Shots per 96 | 4.26 |
| Key passes per 96 | 0.49 |
| Expected goals per 96 | 0.423 |
| Expected assists per 96 | 0.020 |
| Finishing vs expectation | +0.069 |
These are the inputs to the style space that assigns her archetype — descriptive of how she plays, deliberately separate from how well.
Cap-implied valuepriced on 2025
| Goals above replacement | 0.33 |
| Share of base cap | 2.3% |
| Forward re-pricing | +$10,801 |
Cap-implied wage distributes the league's published 2025 wage pool in proportion to goals added above replacement. It is what the cap says she should command — the NWSL does not publish actual salaries.
Career record
| Season | Club | Pos | Age | Min | g+/96 | Pctile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | SD | W | 16.7 | 540 | -0.056 | 26 |
| 2025 | SD | W | 17.7 | 568 | -0.053 | 26 |
| 2026 | SD | W | 18.7 | 586 | -0.050 | 27 |
Style comparablessame role, ranked by fit
| Player | Pos | Club | Season | Age | g+/96 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Leroux | W | ORL | 2018 | 28.2 | +0.038 |
| Esther González | ST | NJY | 2023 | 30.6 | +0.005 |
| Diana Ordoñez | ST | NC | 2022 | 20.8 | +0.038 |
| Rachel Daly | ST | HOU | 2019 | 27.6 | -0.051 |
| Paige Cronin | W | NJY | 2020 | 23.6 | +0.081 |
| Leah Pruitt | ST | SEA | 2021 | 23.8 | -0.017 |
| Katie Lampson | W | NJY | 2024 | 32.3 | +0.028 |
| McKenzie Meehan | ST | NJY | 2017 | 22.5 | +0.141 |