• Name: Paige Metayer
• Club: Washington Spirit
• Position: Central Midfielder
• Age: 22 (September 23, 2000)
• Height: 5ft 10in
• Foot: Right

Paige Metayer signed for the Washington Spirit in March of this year. She went undrafted in 2023, but caught the eye of the Spirit’s coaching staff as a pre-season non-roster invitee and earned a three-year contract.

She started the opening two games of Washington’s NWSL season, against the OL Reign and Racing Louisville. I was highly impressed by her performance in both games as the outside right midfielder in Washington’s 4-4-2 diamond.

A couple of things immediately stand out to me about Metayer. One is her physical profile (tall and fast, with excellent stamina). She ran competitively in high school, with successes in the 400 and 800 metres. Two is her defensive play. She does a lot of the gritty work others (including many experienced pros) can’t or won’t do.

Before joining the Spirit and turning professional this year, she represented the University of California, Berkeley. Her first goal for the team was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a header. Over five seasons her basic stats read: 89 games played, 86 starts, nine goals, one assist.

Metayer has adapted seamlessly to professional soccer. Here I’ll analyse the stand-out elements of her game, what her next steps might be, and why she reminds me of Lionesses legend Jill Scott. Words first, video at the end. And, as always, feedback appreciated.

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Defensive play: Tracking runs, filling gaps, closing down, 1v1

Metayer played frequently as a defensive midfielder in college soccer, and she continues to show good defensive anticipation and work ethic in a more box-to-box role with Washington in the NWSL.

Against the Reign, she found herself up against Rose Lavelle and Jess Fishlock, probably two of the cleverest movers in the game. When Washington right-back Dorian Bailey was drawn out, Metayer’s diligence to cover and track runs prevented Lavelle and Fishlock from arriving free in the box.

Metayer showed the same qualities against Louisville, sticking to Savannah DeMelo like Velcro and nullifying another of the NWSL’s most gifted attacking midfielders.

This sort of thing gets more attention when it doesn’t happen, when someone like Fishlock arrives un-marked to finish. However, when Washington’s defence has been stretched, Metayer has filled in the gaps.

Metayer’s closing down has been eye-catching, too, not only for her speed, but for the angles she runs. She is aware to screen one opponent while closing down another, cutting out passing options.

Front-foot pressure or back-foot tracking of runs and filling gaps, the 22-year-old can do both for 90 minutes, with brilliant stamina. The pace of the NWSL game does not appear to faze her, nor a challenging box-to-box role.

Metayer has been called into some 1-v-1 defending, and has done well for the most part: getting out to the opponent quickly as the ball moves, not jumping in, but close enough to tackle, jockeying to steer the opponent away from goal. Her speed makes her tough to beat on the outside.

Andi Sullivan speaking post-Louisville: “Paige has been doing incredibly well. I love how she puts in the work defensively. Not just covering ground and rolling out but getting up for challenges, slide tackles, everything. She’s always really steady and calm, and has this … quiet confidence about her. I was in our matchday-1 and [head coach] Mark [Parsons] is giving her a ton of responsibility and … that is a credit to how she’s doing.”

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Footwork and passing

I’ve taken notes on three games Metayer has played: her first two in the NWSL, and one from college level against Stanford. In those three games, I noted:

• 2 x nutmeg
• 2 x Cruyff turn
• 3 x drag-back
• 2 x outside boot turn

To clarify, her footwork in tight spaces is good. With composure and ability using different parts of her right boot, she has routes out of different pressurised situations. She also has a proclivity for Zidane pirouettes (not yet pulled one out in NWSL, but may only be a matter of time).

As things stand, her professional nutmeg record is 2-0. Metayer has megged both Lavelle and Jessica McDonald, without incurring a single meg in return. A little stat for those interested in soccer savagery.

Metayer has also demonstrated a maturity with regard to controlling the tempo, slowing things down at times and resetting play. Something easier said than done in the NWSL.

As a passer, she’s very comfortable using the outside of her right foot. The club she definitely has in her bag is the pitching wedge: she’s already played a few enticing chipped mid-range balls for the strikers, over the top/onto the green. One was an assist for Hatch against Louisville.

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Aerial strength

It wouldn’t be a scout report of Paige Metayer unless I mentioned her aerial ability. She stands taller than many opponents at 5ft 10in and has already won her fair share of aerial duels, reading the ball flight, committing herself and making good contact.

Olivia van der Jagt is one of the strongest NWSL midfielders in the air (a quick, simple assessment: FBref has her seventh overall for aerial duels won in 2022. Taylor Kornieck tops the list…). Metayer competed with Van der Jagt on opening day of 2023, even winning a flick-on and offering Washington a direct outlet at goal kicks.

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Next steps: support runs and scoring potential

Playing box-to-box on the outside of a diamond midfield, Metayer could develop herself into a goal threat on crosses from the other side (doing what the winger should usually do, but in a winger-less system).

She has the aerial ability to beat defenders, not to mention speed/stamina to hit the box with momentum and consistency. Ghosting in at the far post can become her bread and butter.

Another valuable next step for her to take in this role is providing more support runs for Trinity Rodman, the striker on Washington’s right side. With give-and-goes, or runs inside/outside of Rodman, Metayer will give the defender a dilemma, possibly buy Rodman a bit of space, or get in behind herself.

Metayer has the potential to develop into a top holding midfielder, screening the back line. She already has the defensive anticipation when it comes to tracking runs, filling gaps, covering teammates. Bonuses are her aerial strength and good footwork to manouevre her way out of pressure.

She also has high potential as a box-to-box because of her energy, speed and work rate (no balls not worth going for, good angles when closing down, unafraid to put her body on the line to tackle or block). Possible next steps are in the final third: offering more support runs to team up with Rodman down the right side, and believing in herself as a goal threat, particularly on crosses in from the left.

Given Metayer’s height, stamina, physicality, defensive work and ability to screen the defence or go box-to-box, there are similarities with Jill Scott, the 5ft 11in former England midfielder and all-round legend (also a good long-distance runner in her youth).