Braila

Early years of football (1919–1950)

Dacia Brăila was founded in 1919 around the same time as another local team, Unirea. Until 1928, when the two clubs merged to form Dacia Unirea, each competed separately in the regional championship.

In November 1929 Dacia Unirea had the following base team: Padimatopol (Căpreanu), Stanciu, Vasiliu, Leo (Săvulescu), Fritz, Grigoriou, Anastasios, Leșu, I. Goldenberg, Teodorescu (Frătescu, Cavada, Geller, Munteanu). In the 1929–30 season the team won the regional tournament and qualified for the national championship tournament. In the quarter-finals they were eliminated by Juventus București, the team that won the championship that year.

Dacia Unirea later played in Divizia B between 1934–1937 and 1938–1940, and in Divizia A in 1937–38 and 1940–41. During this period, the club underwent several name changes: DUIG (Dacia Unirea Ignatz Goldenberg) in 1937, Dacia Unirea in 1938, and FC Brăila in 1940. During the war, the team competed in the Cupa Eroilor. After the war, it reverted to its traditional name Dacia Unirea, participating for one season in Divizia C in 1946–47 before disappearing from all divisional levels. Some notable players from this era include I. Goldenberg, N. Stanciu, Hagiopol, Saramet, Weiss, Cavadia, Bonațiu, V. Pop, Negrescu, Drăghicescu, Pascalide, and D. Stanciu.

Hard times (1950–1965)

After the nationalization of 1948, Întreprinderile Metalurgice Dunărene (lit. 'Danube Metallurgical Enterprises') of David Goldenberg, which had supported Dacia Unirea since the interwar period, became state-owned, and the football club was re‑established in 1950 as Metalul Brăila, and over the following years went through several administrative and name changes.

In the 1950 season, Metalul Brăila won the Brăila County Championship and qualified for the South Sector promotion play-off, defeating, one by one, Spartac Călărași, Spartac Buzău, and Locomotiva PCA Constanța before losing the final to Steagul Roșu Orașul Stalin.

The following year, Metalul claimed the Galați Regional Championship after the teams from the former Brăila County were included in the Galați Region following the administrative and territorial reorganization of the country at the end of 1950. However, after defeating CSA Tecuci in the second round, the team lost promotion to Flamura Roșie Bacău in a three-match series (0–2, 2–0, 1–2).

In the 1952 season, Metalul again won the Galați Regional Championship, eliminating Dinamo Bârlad and Locomotiva Pașcani, but lost in the third round to Dinamo Bacău after another three-match series. At the end of the season, however, the Romanian Football Federation decided to increase the number of promoted teams, as the two series of Divizia B were expanded from 12 to 16 clubs, and the third-round losers were also promoted.

Thus, Metalul entered Divizia B, competing in Series I in the 1953 season, where it finished last but avoided relegation due to another expansion of the second division. In the 1954 season, Metalul was assigned to Series III, once again finishing in last place and being relegated to the regional championship.

After the 1955 campaign, the team returned to the newly re-established Divizia C, ranking 11th in Series II at the end of the 1956 season and subsequently ceding its place in the third division to Dinamo Brăila.

Following another name change, this time to Industria Sârmei Brăila, the club won the 1957–58 Galați Regional Championship and earned promotion to Divizia C, where it finished 4th in Series II during the 1958–59 season before returning once again to the regional championship due to Divizia C being shut down.

Renamed CSM Brăila (Club Sportiv Muncitoresc Brăila – Brăila Workers’ Sports Club) in 1959, the team finished 1st in Series II, winning the 1959–60 Galați Regional Championship after defeating Știința Galați in the final (1–1 away, 3–1 at home), and subsequently earned promotion to Divizia B by winning Group IV of the promotion play-off tournament held in Bucharest, ahead of Steaua Roșie Bacău, Penicilina Iași, and Unirea Botoșani. The squad included Lungu, Bălan, Broscățeanu, Vasilache, Popescu, Boboc, Leșu, Gh. Vasile, Bogdan, Coteț, and Novac.

In Divizia B, CSM Brăila competed in Series I, finishing 6th at the end of the 1960–61 season. After being taken over by the municipality and renamed CSO Brăila (Club Sportiv Orășenesc Brăila), the club was ranked 7th in the 1961–62 season.

In 1962, the club became Progresul Brăila, finishing 11th in the 1962–63 season. Although initially set to be relegated to the newly re-founded Divizia C, the team was instead demoted to the regional championship due to a match-fixing scandal.

In 1963, Laminorul Brăila, the team of the local metallurgical enterprise, earned promotion to Divizia C and was subsequently merged into Progresul, competing in the 1963–64 season under the name Laminorul, winning Series I of the third division and securing promotion to Divizia B. After changing its name to Constructorul Brăila in 1964, the club finished 6th in Series I of Divizia B in the 1964–65 season.

Dacia Unirea, ascension (1965–1994)

Constructorul continued to compete in Series I of the second division, and after a poor run of results, coach Alexandru Dumitriu was replaced by Nicolae Stanciu in the first half of the season, while the club was renamed Progresul Brăila during the winter break, eventually finishing 6th in the 1965–66 campaign. This was followed by an unexpected relegation at the end of the 1966–67 season, after finishing in 13th place under Ion Broscățeanu. Nevertheless, Progresul managed to reach the Round of 32 in the Cupa României, where it lost 0–1 to Rapid București.

In the 1967–68 season, Progresul finished as runners‑up in the South Series of Divizia C and returned to Divizia B after topping Group I in the promotion/relegation play‑offs held in Brașov, ahead of Chimia Râmnicu Vâlcea, Gloria Bârlad, and Victoria Roman. The squad, led by coach Angelo Economu, comprised Rădoi, State, Buterez, Teodorescu, Cazan, Iuhasz, Gheorghiță, Ionescu, Urmeș, Balaban, Turcu, Iancu, Ciupitu, Oprea, and Stoian. Progresul also reached the Round of 32 of the Cupa României for the second consecutive year, this time losing 1–4 to Dinamo Bacău.