SPORTSCOPE : Heat Plays Salt Lake City to Open Road Swing

The Los Angeles Heat, in fourth place in the Southern Division of the American Professional Soccer League with a 4-2 record, play the Salt Lake City Sting Saturday at Salt Lake City.

The game is the first of four road games in eight days for the Heat, which is 2-0 on the road. The Heat play the Colorado Foxes Sunday, the Seattle Storm June 15 and the Portland Timbers June 16.

Three teams qualify for postseason action, but because the APSL scoring system rewards teams that score goals, the Heat is 15 points behind front-running Real Santa Barbara. L.A. has scored only 11 goals, lowest in the league.

Goalkeeper Mike Littman has kept the Heat in contention by giving up only five goals, the lowest total in the league.

Heat forward Jeff Hooker, a member of the 1984 U.S. National Team that tied defending World Cup champion Italy, 0-0, said the United States will do well against Italy in their match Thursday at the World Cup. “Italy is very fast, very skillful and very powerful,” Hooker said. For the United States to win, Hooker said it must utilize a man-to-man, trapping defense that “doesn’t give Italy time to play its game.”

The Palos Verdes Starlettes, a precision ice skating team of girls 15 and under, will perform in the All Year Figure Skating Club Summer Festival June 10 at the Culver City Ice Arena. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and costs $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Information: (213) 378-3057.

Diesel trucks plow into Ascot Raceway Saturday night in a rare appearance on the quarter-mile track. The Great American Truck Race begins at 8 p.m., highlighting a three-day event that begins with CMC Motocross action Friday at 7:30. Stock cars occupy their usual spot Sunday evening at 6.

The Boys Basketball Club of Manhattan Beach will hold sign-ups June 15 in the girl’s gym at Mira Costa High from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The club is for athletes 14 and under. The cost is $55. Games are held Sundays beginning in September.

Youth camps in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball are being offered at Cal State Dominguez Hills this summer. Prices, dates and times vary. Information: (213) 516-3893.

The Laura Stamm Power Skating Clinic will be July 20 and 21 at the Bay Harbor Olympic Ice Rink in Harbor City. Stamm has trained more than 100 professional ice hockey players and has been a consultant to a half dozen professional teams. The cost is $80. Children and adults can enroll, but each must provide their own hockey gear and stick. Information: (213) 547-0608.

Region 7 of the American Youth Soccer Organization will hold sign-ups from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Westchester Townhouse on Emerson near Manchester. Boys and girls 5-18 are eligible. Information: (213) 215-9024.

Sign-ups for Redondo Beach Pop Warner Football June 16 and 23 and July 21 at Perry Park from noon to 3 p.m. A flag football program is offered for youths 6-7. The cost is $25. The tackle football program is for youths 8-13 and costs $75. Information: (213) 370-1747.

Harbor College is sponsoring a series of baseball clinics on the Seahawk Field for players 8-18. Sessions run June 25-29, July 9-13 and 16-20 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $90 per player, $160 for two players or $200 per family. Information: (213) 835-1410 or (213) 831-0840 after 5.

A basketball camp for players in grades three through eight will be held June 25-29 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Mira Costa High. The fee is $80 per player. Glenn Marx, boys’ basketball coach at Mira Costa, will conduct clinics on five consecutive Fridays, beginning June 29 at 5 p.m. in the school gym. The clinics are for boys 8-15 and cost $50 per player. Information: (213) 545-3685.

Roadracing events upcoming: Saturday’s Palos Verdes Marathon, 7 a.m., $20, (213) 548-6865 or (213) 541-5033; June 16, El Segundo Main Street 5-K/10-K, 8 a.m., cost TBA, (213) 322-1220; July 4, Torrance Spirit of America 5-K/Kiddie-K, 8 a.m., $11, (213) 320-2255; July 8, Sixth City of Gardena 5-K, 8 a.m., $13 with T-shirt, $8 without, after June 25 add $2, (213) 323-0163.

A 12-week instructional program for marathon runners and walkers begins Sunday at the Westchester Seventh-day Adventist Church.