Wisconsin Soccer Central

Taylor Diem (Middleton) has made an instant impact with English club Eccleshill United.

Diem is a starting center back, wears the captain's armband and regularly plays the full 90 minutes for the non-league club, which is in sixth place in the 22-team Northern Counties East Football League Division One – the 10th division of English soccer.

The 24-year-old, who finished his college career at NCAA Division II Regis (Colo.) after starting out at Division I Hofstra, is playing with Eccleshill United through the club's connection with the Richmond International Academic & Soccer Academy.

As part of the RIASA program, Diem is pursuing a master's degree at Leeds Metropolitan University while also playing. RIASA has partnerships with several clubs – for example, Diem recently played for a Bradford City side in a 2-0 loss to the Under-21 team from Notts County, which is recognized as the oldest soccer club in the world.

Most of the time, though, he is with Eccleshill United. Diem has been named "Man of the Match" at least twice for the Eagles (8-4-3), who have a league-best 7-1-0 away record.

"Taylor was outstanding and played a true captain's role, standing up to their style of play, being brave in tackles, unlike some of the opposition, and led by example," manager Lee Duxbury wrote of Diem after his team's 2-0 victory over Pontefract Collieries on Sept. 28.

Eccleshill United's biggest win of the season came in the second qualifying round of the FA Vase back on Sept. 21.

The Eagles took the lead in the second minute, had a player sent off in the eighth minute and went on to stun Bishop Auckland 3-1 despite being down a man for the final 82 minutes – the result made headlines across the country, and the Bishop Auckland manager was dimissed the next day.

They weren't as lucky in the first round proper last Saturday, falling to Thackley 1-0 in a local derby – the clubs are just 2 miles apart from one another. Thackley, which is in second place in the ninth-division NCEL Premier Division, scored on a free kick from near midfield in the final minute of the first half and protected the slim lead throughout the second 45 minutes.

The FA Vase is for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System, or the ninth tier and lower. This season, 535 teams were accepted for the competition.

Malcolm Calbert (Stoughton), Diem's former club teammate with the old Middleton-Yahara SC, also is in the RIASA program. The former Loras (Iowa) athlete has made at least three substitute appearances for Eccleshill United and has logged 90 minutes twice for the club's reserve team.