The Philippine national football (soccer) team is referred to as the “Azkals.”
The name was coined when an online Filipino community proposed the nickname Calle Azul (Spanish for “Streets of Blue” in reference to the color of their kit). The phrase was modified to Azul Calle, shortened to AzCal, and finally became Azkal – a word that is similar to Filipino term askal, which means street dog.
“Azkals” became a trending topic on Twitter during the semifinals of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.
