We may very well be living in the age of the foodie, but as far as the Childish Gambinos are concerned, it’s really soccer and music that make the world go round.

“While some teams might celebrate with pasta, we enjoy grooving to Don’s music,” writes captain Gianni de Piano, taking a gentle jab at the competition. “The team’s name was a toss up between DonGlovers Utd and Childish Gambinos. The latter was chosen for the word play on our midfield maestro’s name, Alexander Gambino.”

And much like their musical namesake, the Childish Gambinos are far more complex and layered than a simple flash-in-the-pan, one-hit wonder. A “seasoned team in a rather youthful division,” this VMC high school crew has been playing together for over ten years and currently have RDP’s C3B Division in their clutches, with but a single loss to their name nine games in and only FC Barilla Pasta posing a serious threat for the moment. So what’s behind this summer’s success?
“We made some tactical changes this year that are paying off,” explains de Piano. The serial defenders switched over to a two-man defensive system to focus on ball possession. One of their top midfielders, meanwhile, has been thriving as a striker. “But Bisc aside, everyone is contributing, which is a nice luxury to have. In his absence, we can throw Seb or Cioff up front and they get the job done. Gambz and Ci have been piling up the assists from the mid, while Marc, Vinny & Phil have been solid in the back. We’ll be even stronger once we get Miel back from injury. We’re not your typical 1-man team!”

Catchy nicknames and early success aside, the Childish Gambinos are playing the long game. “It’s been eight long years since our last playoff championship and six years since we finished first. If we can stay healthy, we’ve got a good shot at la doppietta.”
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