Milsami Orhei Milsami Orhei is a club whose history began in 2005 in the village of Step-Soci in the Orhei district. The team was founded as Viitorul Step-Soci and played its first official match in Moldovan football on 21 August 2005. In 2008, the club moved to Orhei and became Viitorul Orhei, before adopting the name Milsami Orhei in 2010. A merger with Ursidos Chișinău followed in 2011, and the team temporarily played as Milsami-Ursidos before returning to the Milsami name.
The club's first major success came in 2012. Milsami-Ursidos won the Moldovan Cup by defeating CSCA-Rapid Chișinău in the final on penalties. The match finished 0–0 after 120 minutes, before Milsami prevailed 5–3 in the shoot-out. It was the first major trophy in the club's history.
The most important chapter in Milsami's history began in the 2014/15 season. The club won the Moldovan championship for the first time, with the title decided in dramatic circumstances on the final day. Milsami defeated Dacia Chișinău 2–1, leaving three teams level on 55 points. The championship was ultimately decided by the head-to-head record. It was the first time that the Moldovan title had been won by a club from outside Chișinău and Tiraspol.
The 2015 championship also opened the most memorable European chapter in the club's history. In the second qualifying round of the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League, Milsami eliminated Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. After winning the first leg 1–0 away from home, the Moldovan side won the return match 2–1 and progressed 3–1 on aggregate. It was Milsami's first successful tie in the Champions League. In the third qualifying round, the club faced Albanian side Skënderbeu Korçë, losing the tie and missing out on the play-off round.
Milsami's European experience had begun before its championship triumph. In the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League, the club progressed through two qualifying rounds before being eliminated by French side Saint-Étienne. The victory over Ludogorets, however, remains the club's most recognisable European achievement.
The club had to wait another decade for its second Moldovan championship. In the 2024/25 season, Milsami secured the title on the final matchday after drawing 0–0 away to Sheriff Tiraspol. The result was enough to finish top of the table, one point ahead of Sheriff and Zimbru Chișinău. It was the second league title in the history of the Orhei club.
The domestic honours of Milsami now include two Moldovan championships, won in 2015 and 2025, and two Moldovan Cups, won in 2012 and 2018. The club has also won the Moldovan Super Cup twice, in 2012 and 2019. The second cup triumph came in 2018, when Milsami defeated Zimbru Chișinău 2–0 after extra time; both goals were scored by Maxim Antoniuc.
Important figures in the club's history include Iurie Osipenco, who coached the championship-winning team in 2015, and Serghei Clescenco, who led the side to its first Moldovan Cup triumph in 2012. Among the players associated with the club's most memorable European campaign were Romeo Surdu, the experienced Romanian striker and captain in 2015, and Alexandru Antoniuc, who scored the winning goal in the first leg against Ludogorets.
The club plays its home matches at the Complexul Sportiv Raional Orhei, which reopened in its modern form in 2007 following redevelopment. The stadium has been closely connected with the club since its move to Orhei and remains an important part of its local identity. Official Milsami materials list the club's colours as white and red, while the team's nickname is The Red Eagles.
Milsami Orhei is therefore a relatively young club with a clearly defined list of achievements: two Moldovan championships, two national cups, two Super Cups and the memorable elimination of Ludogorets in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. A particular feature of its history is the fact that its first championship in 2015 ended a long period of dominance by clubs from Chișinău and Tiraspol. Ten years later, Milsami won the title again, confirming its place among the leading clubs of modern Moldovan football.
