AT about 6 pm last Thursday, any Hong Kong-based American sports fan attending their first football - all right then, soccer - match must have been wondering what all the fuss was about. It was pouring down, there was no shelter from the rain, no food, no drinks . . . and no goals. A capacity crowd of 8,500 people paid over $1 million to watch the first day of the four-team Carlsberg Cup Lunar New Year tournament at Mongkok Stadium and their presence had ensured another sell-out . . . at the refreshment kiosks. The opening match had been a dreary affair, with Denmark beating the United States 4-2 on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes. There was little excitement, little passion and very little action worth remembering on Mongkok's cramped, bumpy pitch, although this did not stop the Danes' colourful followers from celebrating as if they had won the European Championship. As the rain tumbled and souvenir programmes were transformed into hats before they had been read, an American accustomed to fabulous sporting arenas, seat-to-seat service and a never-ending supply of hi-tech data could have been forgiven for simply walking out and going home. Some people did, especially when the first half of the second semi-final, between the Hong Kong League XI and World Cup qualifiers Romania, ended 0-0. That meant 21/4 hours of football without a goal, other than from the penalty spot. Some people left - and who could blame them - but most people stayed. Why? Well, American sports fan, because this is football - and this could be the day when you see the game, the goal or the player you will remember and talk about for years to come. Be patient, something will happen soon. In the 58th minute, Romania's captain, Ilie Dumitrescu, collects a short pass, bursts clear of the Hong Kong defence and chips the ball over the advancing 'keeper and into the net. Silence. It's 1-0 to Romania, a gem of a goal from a gem of a player, and Hong Kong are finished. Or are they? Hong Kong win a free kick; the ball sails towards the Romanian goal, one header, another header, the net bulges and it's 1-1. Now we have a game . . . and the fact that Hong Kong, more known for its stock market than its transfer market, and Romania, rugged and resolute and heading for the World Cup, are level pegging makes football what it is. There is a world of difference between the teams and the players but, on this day, there is no difference at all. Another penalty shootout is required to split the teams. Anything can happen . . . and it does. Hong Kong are through, joining Denmark in the final; Romania are out, joining the United States in the play-off for third place. Hope to see you this afternoon, American sports fan . . . even if it's pouring with rain. Arm and a leg for a picture THE arrival of the International Cricket Council Trophy circus in Nairobi, Kenya, has opened the door for some lucrative business deals for the developing Third World. They're all at it, according to the Post's cricket correspondent, Alvin Sallay, who left the territory with the Hong Kong team last Monday and is following their every move. Stumbling across a group of Masai warriors the other day, as you would, our man on the spot quickly organised a team picture of three tribesmen from the darkest corner of Africa, together with Hong Kong vice-captain Steve Atkinson, from the darkest cornerof County Durham in England. The warriors' services did not come cheaply, however, and, after posing politely for the picture, they charged a fee of $400 before retreating, presumably, to the darkest bar in Nairobi. ''Didn't you try and bargain?'' we asked. ''When they're carrying spears and knives, there's not much room for negotiation,'' replied Sallay. Come to think of it, $400 seems a very reasonable price . . . when it could have cost him an arm and a leg. Survival is a gift in soccer ORGANISERS of the Lunar New Year football tournament at Mongkok Stadium must have been expecting a real rough-and-tumble occasion judging from the official schedule prepared by the Hong Kong Football Association. Representatives of the four sides - Romania, the United States, Denmark and the Hong Kong League XI - attended a team managers' meeting last Wednesday to run through the rules and regulations. But the neatly typed schedule had one slight mistake under the section of ''Any Other Business''. Instead of saying ''Exchange of Souvenirs'', the document read ''Exchange of Survivors''. Now if Argentina had been playing, maybe it wouldn't have been a misprint after all. While we're on the subject of the Lunar New Year tournament, a source from the bowels of the Mongkok terraces revealed that the Americans still have quite a bit to learn about the beautiful game. During the Denmark-USA semi-final on Thursday, a Danish defender slid into a United States striker and the referee blew up for a foul. ''Hey, come on ref,'' shouted an irate American fan from the terraces. ''Give him a green card.'' Sports Person of the Week: Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev, who became the highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket when he claimed his 432nd victim, one more than New Zealand's Sir Richard Hadlee. Sports Quote of the Week: ''When you are an American soccer player you find out there is a lot more to it than just playing soccer. You are a pioneer and an ambassador for your sport and you have the responsibility to promote the game and the team . . . it's part of your job description.'' - United States defender Alexi Lalas on the eve of the Lunar New Year tournament in Hong Kong.
