ASA Targu Mures

Foundation and early regional football (1921–1923)

Mureșul Târgu Mureș was founded in 1921 under the name SS Mureșul Târgu Mureș. The name referred to the Mureș River, which flows through the city.

In 1923, the club joined forces with the local railway workers' team CFR Târgu Mureș and adopted the name CFR Mureșul Târgu Mureș. The merger strengthened the squad and allowed Mureșul to become one of the leading teams in the Târgu Mureș regional championship.

The club won the regional title in the 1923–24 season and qualified for the national championship tournament. Mureșul defeated Șoimii Sibiu and then Venus București to reach the semi-finals, where it was eliminated after a 0–9 defeat against Chinezul Timișoara.

CS Mureșul and the interwar peak (1924–1932)

In 1924, the railway association ended and the club became independent again under the name CS Mureșul Târgu Mureș.

Mureșul remained one of the strongest sides in central Transylvania during the second half of the 1920s, competing in the regional championship for qualification to the national finals.

The club returned to the national championship in 1931–32. Mureșul won the Mureș regional championship and subsequently entered the final tournament of the Central League. It defeated Industria Aeronautică Română Brașov 5–0 before winning the Central League final 3–1 against Șoimii Sibiu.

At national level, Mureșul defeated Crișana Oradea 2–0 in the opening round. In the semi-final, however, the team was heavily defeated 2–8 by defending champions UD Reșița.

The two semi-final appearances of 1924 and 1932 remained the club's best performances in the Romanian championship.

Divizia A and relegation (1932–1934)

When the Romanian championship was reorganised into a permanent national league in 1932, Mureșul was initially selected for the inaugural 1932–33 Divizia A season. However, the club failed to confirm its participation and withdrew before the championship began.

Mureșul entered the top division the following season. In 1933–34, the club competed in Series II and finished 7th out of eight teams, with one victory, two draws and eleven defeats. The result led to relegation to Divizia B.

Divizia B and final pre-war years (1934–1940)

After relegation, Mureșul became a regular second-division side.

In 1934–35, the club finished 3rd in Series IV, behind Societatea Gimnastică Sibiu and CFR Simeria.

The club remained competitive during the following seasons and by 1937–38 had emerged as a serious promotion contender, finishing 3rd in Series II behind UD Reșița and CAM Timișoara.

Mureșul produced its strongest Divizia B campaign in 1938–39, winning the North Group of the Western Series with 29 points from 18 matches, seven points ahead of Industria Sârmei Câmpia Turzii.

The group victory sent Mureșul into the promotion play-off. The club defeated CAM Timișoara 1–0 at home after losing 1–4 away and also defeated Gloria CFR Galați 2–0 at home after a 1–4 away defeat. These results were not sufficient to earn promotion to Divizia A.

In 1939–40, Mureșul again challenged near the top of the table and finished 2nd in Series I with 26 points, level with FC Craiova and FC Brăila but two points behind FC Ploiești.

The club disappeared from Romanian competition later in 1940 after Northern Transylvania, including Târgu Mureș, was transferred to Hungary under the Second Vienna Award.

Post-war football and the separate CS Târgu Mureș (1944–1960)

Mureșul itself did not resume activity immediately after the war.

In 1944, railway workers in Târgu Mureș established a separate organisation called ASM Târgu Mureș, bringing together many of the city's leading players. This club later competed under the names Dermagant, RATA, Locomotiva, Avîntul, Recolta, Energia Recolta and finally CS Târgu Mureș.

CS Târgu Mureș was therefore not simply a renamed continuation of the pre-war Mureșul. It was a distinct post-war club founded in 1944, which went on to spend ten seasons in Divizia A and achieved two 4th-place finishes before disappearing from the national leagues in 1960.

Revival and merger with ASA (1960–1964)

In 1960, the Mureșul name returned to competitive football. Historical sources describe the new CS Mureșul Târgu Mureș as emerging from Voința Târgu Mureș, with the remaining structure of the recently dissolved CS Târgu Mureș also becoming associated with the project.

The revived Mureșul competed in Divizia B for four seasons.

Meanwhile, a completely separate military club, AS Armata Târgu Mureș, had been established in 1962.

In September 1964, Mureșul merged with ASA. The merger strengthened the army-backed club and gave ASA a place in Divizia B, while the Mureșul organisation ceased to exist.

ASA subsequently became the dominant football club in Târgu Mureș and later reached the Romanian top flight, but it should not be regarded as the same legal or historical entity as the original Mureșul founded in 1921.