Early years (1907–1950) PSMS history starts with DVB. Explicitly, the football stakeholders in Medan began the first general meeting to form the union on 7 July 1907 (see De Sumatra post, 08–07–1907). Then later, with the establishment of OSVB in 1915, DVB openly stated that it was willing to integrate with OSVB (the fusion process). In accordance with the development of the situation and conditions, the OSVB coverage area was no longer effective. In September 1949, soccer stakeholders in Medan formed VBMO (fission process). In order to adjust the VUVSI (NIVU succession) policy in 1948 to translate VUVSI as ISNIS, the VBMO was also translated as PSMS and then the Medan soccer union was called VBMO / PSMS. In March 1950, the
Dutch military left
Medan. Football organizations of the
State of East Sumatra during the Dutch population,
Rumah Susun Football Club (RSFC) and
Oost Sumatra Voettbal Bond (OSVB), which had been founded since the early 1930s and then in 1950 changed their name to the
Persatuan Sepakbola Medan dan Sekitarnya or were shortened to
PSMS. However, there is no clear evidence that MVC, DVB, OSVB, VBMO, RSFC and other football clubs that were founded during the Dutch colonial period were PSMS embryos. The initiators of the birth of PSMS Medan are 6 figures who represent the 6 Amateur Clubs in Medan in 1950. The 6 figures are Adinegoro (Al Wathan), Madja Purba (Sahata), Sulaiman Siregar (PO Police), TM Harris (Medan Sport), dr Pierngadi (Deli Matschapij) and Tedja Singh (India Football Team). They were the ones who coordinated 23 clubs in Medan at that time to establish PSMS Medan on 21 April 1950. The city of Medan has long been known to the world because of its Deli tobacco plantations. It's no wonder that the PSMS logo is in the form of "leaves" and "deli tobacco flowers". Deli tobacco is also the symbol of PSMS Medan until now. 1950 means the birth of PSMS on 21 April 1950. Green Colours means plantation. White Colours means Holy which in a broad sense means Sportive. The green color is maintained as the main costume color for PSMS Medan. The green color in the PSMS costume can also be interpreted as coolness, freshness and calm. PSMS Medan is known for its typical type of rap-rap game, namely football which is hard, fast and insistent but still plays clean and upholds sportsmanship. This is what is often shown by the team nicknamed "The Killer" and is now nicknamed "Ayam Kinantan". PSMS are a football club which originated and based in Kebun Bunga Stadium
Jl. Candi Borobudur No.2, Medan North Sumatra.
The Killer era (1954–1967) PSMS glories eras occurred since 1954. At that time, PSMS were often invited by teams from overseas such as
Grazer AK, Kowloon Motorbus (Hong Kong),
Grasshopper, Star Soccerites (Singapore) and others. Thanks to the victories often tasted by PSMS against foreign teams, PSMS earned the nicknames the "Killers" or "Executioners" of the teams from abroad. It was this squad that brought PSMS Medan to the 1969 PSSI National Championship on 6 July 1969 with a terrible goal record in the Finals which was participated by 7 teams, which included 29 goals and only conceded 2 goals and was unbeaten. The 7 teams that competed in the final round of the PSSI National Championship were PSMS Medan, Persija Jakarta, Persebaya Surabaya, PSM Makassar, Persib Bandung, PSKB Binjai and Persipura Jayapura. This success made PSMS Medan for the second time win the PSSI National Championship after previously becoming the PSSI National Championship Champion in 1967. In September 1969 the PSMS squad, which succeeded in becoming the PSSI National Championship Champion, defended the banner of North Sumatra (Sumut) in PON VII which took place in Surabaya. In this PON, the North Sumatran squad, which was managed by Ramli Yatim and EA Mangindaan, performed brilliantly and brought North Sumatra to win the Gold Medal after the final which was marked by scuffles between players, defeated DKI Jakarta 2–1 through goals scored by Iswadi Idris and Soetjipto Soentoro. This is the third gold medal for North Sumatra in the PON football branch after previously winning Gold in PON 1953 and 1957. At the 1969 PON, Soetjipto Soentoro became the top scorer with 16 goals and broke the record previously held by senior PSMS star and North Sumatran Yusuf Siregar in the 1953 PON with 15 goals. Tjipto's record itself still stands and has not been broken. Ramli Yatim also succeeded in becoming the first person to win the PON Gold Medal as a Player and Coach. As a player, Ramli Yatim won Gold in PON 1953 and 1957. PSMS retained the title 1969–1971 season after beating Persebaya again in the final. And with
Persija Jakarta, they became joint champions in the 1973–1975 season due to excessive protests to the referee in the 40th minute that caused the match had to be stopped. PSMS are the Indonesian first club who have competed in the Asian Champion Club Tournament (now the
AFC Champions League) in
1970. PSMS won fourth place in the semi-finals after defeated by
Taj Club 2–0 and in the third place match was defeated by
Homenetmen 1–0. After 8 years without a title, finally PSMS ended their title drought in 1983 after in the final, they defeated
Persib Bandung 3–2 in a penalty shootout (a.e.t. 0–0). They returned to defend the title in the 1985 season when they defeated Persib 2–1 in a penalty shootout (a.e.t. 2–2). The match was played at
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, and was witnessed by 150.000 spectators of 110.000 seating capacity, which made a highest attendance record in the history of Indonesian football. According to the
Asian Football Confederation book that published in 1987, this match was the biggest match in the history of amateur football in the world. PSMS were strengthened by many players such as Yuswardi, Muslim, Sunarto, Sukiman, Ipong Silalahi, Wibisono, Tumsila, Sarman Panggabean, Suwarno, Tumpak Sihite, Nobon Kayamuddin, Zulkarnaen Pasaribu, Ismail Ruslan, Parlin Siagian, Sunardi B, Marzuki Nyakmad, Zulham Effendi Harahap, Sunardi A., Bambang Usmanto, Musimin, Sakum Nugroho M. Siddik,
Ricky Yacobi, Abdul Kadir, Jacob Sihasale, Ronny Pasla, Yudo Hadianto, M.Basri, Taufik Lubis, Pariman, Iswadi Idris,
Abdul Rahman Gurning, Anwar Ujang, Ponirin Meka,
Jaya Hartono, Zulkarnaen Lubis, Sakum Nugroho,
Soetjipto Soentoro and others.
The end of glories eras; Liga Indonesia era (1990–2001) PSMS glories eras ended in the early 1990s. In the 1991–92 season, they became the runner-up when they lost to
PSM Makassar 2–1 in the final. When the era of
Perserikatan ended and turned into the
Liga Indonesia, PSMS achievement was up and down. In the
Liga Indonesia 1994-95 and
1995–96, they became the mid-table club. Even in the
1996–97 season, PSMS almost relegated to
First Division. The situation improved when in
1997–98 season, they ranked 1st at the
west division. But the competition was stopped due to the
May 1998 riots which made the security condition in Indonesia was not conducive. After the riots, Liga Indonesia was held again in the season
1998–99. In this season, PSMS managed to qualify for the
semi-finals. In the semi-final, they lost against Persebaya 4–2 in a penalty shootout (a.e.t. 1–1). In that game, PSMS wore their away costume. In the
next season, they qualified for the
last 8 and ranked 4th in Group A along with PSM,
Pupuk Kaltim, and
Persijatim. In the
season 2001, they qualified to the
semi-finals and would play against PSM. They lost 3–2 in a penalty shootout (a.e.t. 2–2).
Relegation and promotion (2002–2003) Although they became semi-finalist in the Liga Indonesia 2001, it did not guarantee the success of PSMS in the
next season. After starting two games poorly, their poor form finally stopped when they played against
Arema FC. They won 1–0, thanks to Suharyono goal in the 87th minute. After the game, poor form still haunted PSMS. Finally at the end of the season, they ranked 11th, which meant that they were relegated to First Division. This was the worst achievement in the history of the club. PSMS rose above adversity. Playing in 2003 First Division, PSMS were in Group A along with
Persiraja Banda Aceh,
PSSB Bireun,
Persikad Depok,
PSBL Langsa,
Perserang Serang, and
PSBL Bandar Lampung. PSMS ranked 1st and made sure to qualify for the last eight. PSMS started the game in the last eight very well. Won 2–1 against
Persela Lamongan in the first game, PSMS was losing 1–2 against Persiraja in the second game. The fierce competition ensued at the top of the league, and finally PSMS ranked 2nd and ensured their promotion to the Liga Indonesia along with Persebaya.
Ups and downs (2004–2008) Upon returning to the
Liga Indonesia 2004, PSMS performance was not very bad. They started the season poorly, PSMS finished the season by being in 7th position with 47 points, the result of 14 wins, 5 draws and 15 defeats. Before entering the new season, they won the second edition of Bang Yos Gold Cup, a pre-season competition initiated by
Sutiyoso, the governor of
Jakarta at that time. In the final, they beat
Geylang United 5–1 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Entering the
2005 season, Liga Indonesia format changed from the format of one region into two regions (west and east). PSMS located in the western region along with their rivals, Persija and Persib. They started the season dramatically, by defeating
PSPS Pekanbaru 3–2 in Teladan Stadium. Erratic performance made the competition with Persib to qualify for the round of eight. With the very fierce competition, PSMS finally qualified to the round of eight after being in 4th position, 4-point difference with Persib in 5th position. In the round of eight, PSMS were in Group B along with
Persipura Jayapura,
Persik Kediri, and Arema. In the first game, they played a goalless draw against Arema. Their hope to qualify for the finals came when they won 2–1 against Persik, but their hope vanished when they lost 1–0 to Persipura. They only qualified for the third place playoff against
PSIS Semarang. In that game, they conceded first by
Muhammad Ridwan goal in the 12th minute. Alcidio Fleitas equalized in the 21st minute. PSIS ensured their victory by Harri Salisburi goal in the 78th minute. PSIS won third place, while PSMS won fourth place. Like the previous season, PSMS competed in the third edition of Bang Yos Gold Cup before entering the new season. They managed to retain the title they have won the previous edition, after their 2–1 win against Persik in the final. In
2006 season, their performance declined slightly than last season, because they were just in 5th position, 3-point difference with
Persekabpas Pasuruan, which made them fail to qualify for the last 8. The competition of the fourth position in the western region between PSMS and Persekabpas was very dramatic. In the last game in the western region, PSMS lost against
Persijap Jepara 0–1 at home, while Persekabpas won 3–2 against
Sriwijaya FC. Persekabpas qualified for the last 8 as they were in 4th position in the western region. PSMS tried to improve their performance in the
2007–08 season. With their successful to retain their title in the fourth edition of Bang Yos Gold Cup that made them the immortal owner of Bang Yos Gold Cup, they believed they could won their first title in Liga Indonesia since the era of Perserikatan ended. Their ambition was almost achieved after they were in 3rd position in the western region under Sriwijaya FC and Persija, who made them qualify for the last 8. In the last 8, they were in Group A along with Sriwijaya FC, Arema, and
Persiwa Wamena. They managed to qualify for the semi-finals after they were in second place under Sriwijaya FC. They met Persipura in the semi-finals, and they qualified for the final as they won 4–5 in a penalty shootout (a.e.t. 0–0). This was the PSMS first final match in the era of Liga Indonesia. In the final, they had to admit defeat on Sriwijaya FC 3–1.
Super League era (2008–2009) Because the
Football Association of Indonesia wanted to introduce the professionalism of Indonesian football competition by making
Indonesia Super League as the highest competition, PSMS had to relocate to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium as their home since Teladan Stadium did not fulfill the criteria of professionalism which were created by the League Board of Indonesia. By the start of the
2008–09 season, PSMS were still haunted by internal polemics between the management team with the manager who raised the PSMS resignation news of Indonesian Super League 2008–09. Finally on 10 July 2008, the League Board of Indonesia decided to continue to include PSMS Medan to Indonesia Super League. Entering the first season of the Indonesia Super League, PSMS were hit a lot of problems. Starting from the massive exodus of star players who came out because of unresolved salary issues, then Teladan Stadium did not pass the stratification of Indonesia Super League which makes PSMS must move their home base, until the problem of disunity in the body of the club. PSMS started the league very badly. Under the coaching of Iwan Setiawan, PSMS were struggling in the relegation zone along the half of the first round. Looking at these achievements, Iwan Setiawan eventually sacked and replaced by New Zealander coach Eric Williams. Conditions were never changed. Eric Williams could not lift PSMS into a better position, so that he also sacked at the end of the first round and was replaced by Brazilian coach Luciano Leandro. He was only able to be in PSMS for less than three months before he was sacked on 5 February 2009 following the poor results of the last two games. Entering the second round of the league, major improvements were done. Among these are made the assistant coach Liestiadi as head coach in place of Luciano Leandro, and to move their home base from
Siliwangi Stadium to
Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium. PSMS gradually climbed out of the relegation zone. Even in the
AFC Cup 2009, PSMS made a record as the first Indonesian football club who reached the last 16 after being the runner-up of
Group F under
South China, although they were later defeated by
Chonburi FC 4–0 in the last 16. But unfortunately at the end of the league, PSMS were in 15th position which forced PSMS to play the promotion/relegation play-off against the fourth place of 2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Persebaya Surabaya. PSMS were eventually relegated for the second time after 5–4 defeat in a penalty shootout (a.e.t. 1–1) at Siliwangi Stadium. For the second time, PSMS had to accept the reality of relegation after finishing the previous season as a runner-up of league.
Dualism Era (2009–2015) In 2011, PSMS was divided into two teams, one team led by Idris SE played in the
Indonesia Super League and the other led by Freddy Hutabarat in the
Indonesian Premier League.
Current (2015–present) In 2015, PSMS ended their dualism and started their campaign by winning Kemerdekaan Cup and also participated in the Indonesia Soccer Championship B. In 2017, PSMS placed 2nd in Liga 2 and got promoted to Liga 1 2018 season, but they were relegated again in just 1 season after finishing at the 18th place. ==Head coaches==