Paige Nielsen
Houston Dash · Centre-back · Deep Builder
Centre-back2026 seasonUSAage 32.71373 min5 ft 5 inDeep Builder
The shape of Paige's game is unusually clear: 94th percentile for defensive disruption, 11th for carrying, at 32.7, on the far side of the curve.
+0.028
goals added / 96
75th
percentile in position
-0.002
2027 projection
$213,600
cap-implied wage, 2025
$216,113
forward implied wage
Contribution profilepercentile within position
Above the 65th percentile in defensive disruption, discipline. Below the 35th in carrying, shooting.
Style metrics2026 season
| Share of team touches | 9.6% |
| Average pass distance | 21.9 yds |
| Average pass verticality | 9.0 yds |
| Pass difficulty attempted | 18.4% |
| Shots per 96 | 0.07 |
| Key passes per 96 | 0.14 |
| Expected goals per 96 | 0.002 |
| Expected assists per 96 | 0.012 |
| Finishing vs expectation | -0.002 |
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 | 1.93 |
| Share of base cap | 6.5% |
| Forward re-pricing | +$2,513 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | WAS | CB | 25.7 | 2069 | +0.006 | 62 |
| 2020 | WAS | CB | 26.7 | 894 | +0.081 | 95 |
| 2021 | WAS | CB | 27.7 | 1356 | -0.013 | 48 |
| 2022 | LA | CB | 28.7 | 1440 | -0.112 | 2 |
| 2023 | LA | CB | 29.7 | 2536 | +0.009 | 63 |
| 2024 | HOU | CB | 30.7 | 2554 | -0.015 | 45 |
| 2025 | HOU | CB | 31.7 | 2542 | -0.010 | 50 |
| 2026 | HOU | CB | 32.7 | 1373 | +0.028 | 75 |
Style comparablessame role, ranked by fit
| Player | Pos | Club | Season | Age | g+/96 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Lind | CB | HOU | 2023 | 29.4 | -0.030 |
| Julia Lester | CB | LOU | 2023 | 25.5 | -0.030 |
| Zoe Morse | CB | CHI | 2022 | 24.2 | -0.045 |
| Kaleigh Riehl | CB | SD | 2022 | 25.7 | -0.062 |
| Natalie Jacobs | CB | HOU | 2023 | 25.9 | -0.037 |
| Isabella Obaze | CB | POR | 2025 | 22.7 | -0.007 |
| Rachel Corsie | CB | SEA | 2017 | 27.9 | -0.022 |
| Tierna Davidson | CB | CHI | 2023 | 24.8 | -0.041 |