However, he faced failure in his first SEA Games as Indonesia only reached the semifinals, suffering a humiliating defeat to Thailand with a score of 7-0.
Indonesia's journey ended in the semifinals against the host country, South Korea, with a score of 0-4.
In the 1987 SEA Games, Matulapelwa made thorough preparations by calling up the best players from two prestigious competitions in Indonesia, namely Perserikatan and Galatama.
During the 1987 SEA Games, the Indonesian national team had to settle for being the Runner-Up in Group B behind Thailand, after losing in terms of goal aggressiveness.
Despite finishing as the Runner-Up in Group B, the Indonesian national team delivered an impressive performance in the semifinals by defeating Burma 4-1, earning them a spot in the final.