Azkals
The Philippine National Football Team (Azkals) is the national football (soccer) team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The Philippine Azkals team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the governing body of football in the Philippines. Despite being the oldest national team in Asia, the Philippines has never had any significant success on the international stage and has never qualified for the AFC Asian Cup or the FIFA World Cup. However, they enjoyed some success in its early years between 1913 and 1934 in the Far Eastern Championship Games, the culmination of which when they defeated Vietnam on a 2-0 score in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup which awaken the national counsciousness of Filipinos in the field of football.
The game of football is popularly known as soccer in the Philippines. Basketball is still the number one sport being played by the Filipinos; however, soccer has been getting a lot of following and attention lately. In the near future, basketball could lose its esteemed position as the number one sport in the country. Soccer has been touted as the game suited for Filipinos as playing the game doesn't require much of height in order to excel in the sport.
Under the official FIFA Trigramme the team's name is abbreviated as PHI; this acronym is used by FIFA, the AFC and the AFF to identify the team in official competitions. The Philippine Azkals team is also identified under the International Organization for Standardization country code for the Philippines as PHL.
However the team is more commonly known as the RP, the acronym for the country's official name, Republika ng Pilipinas, which local media uses when they mainly refer to the team as the "RP Booters" or the "RP XI". The local press has also referred to the team as the Philippine "Azkals". The name, derived from askal, a Filipino term for "street dog," became a trending topic on Twitter during the semifinals of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.
The Azkals has become the new hope of the Philippines to bring about the resurgence of a stronger and more dynamic system in terms of football (soccer) development. Most of the players of the football team tour the country to bring much-needed awareness to the public that the Filipinos can have a very bright future with football, and they can compete at par with other countries in international tournaments.
The Philippine Azkals national team is becoming a much stronger force to reckon with in Southeast Asian football, especially with the addition of some experienced foreign-based Filipino players. The Filipino people hope that they will continue to blaze anew the Philippine footballing trail and inspire a new generation of young players that will carry on the torch of hope in the field of football development in the country.
The game of football is popularly known as soccer in the Philippines. Basketball is still the number one sport being played by the Filipinos; however, soccer has been getting a lot of following and attention lately. In the near future, basketball could lose its esteemed position as the number one sport in the country. Soccer has been touted as the game suited for Filipinos as playing the game doesn't require much of height in order to excel in the sport.
Under the official FIFA Trigramme the team's name is abbreviated as PHI; this acronym is used by FIFA, the AFC and the AFF to identify the team in official competitions. The Philippine Azkals team is also identified under the International Organization for Standardization country code for the Philippines as PHL.
However the team is more commonly known as the RP, the acronym for the country's official name, Republika ng Pilipinas, which local media uses when they mainly refer to the team as the "RP Booters" or the "RP XI". The local press has also referred to the team as the Philippine "Azkals". The name, derived from askal, a Filipino term for "street dog," became a trending topic on Twitter during the semifinals of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.
The Azkals has become the new hope of the Philippines to bring about the resurgence of a stronger and more dynamic system in terms of football (soccer) development. Most of the players of the football team tour the country to bring much-needed awareness to the public that the Filipinos can have a very bright future with football, and they can compete at par with other countries in international tournaments.
The Philippine Azkals national team is becoming a much stronger force to reckon with in Southeast Asian football, especially with the addition of some experienced foreign-based Filipino players. The Filipino people hope that they will continue to blaze anew the Philippine footballing trail and inspire a new generation of young players that will carry on the torch of hope in the field of football development in the country.
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