This is a brazen lie, intended to encourage ticket holders to arrive on time and take their seats before the game begins and to draw TV viewers to the rights holder’s pregame show. (In this case, Fox Sports 1, UniMas and Univision Deportes.)

According to the Fox schedule grid, pregame programming fills the time slot between 7 p.m. and 7:30 PT, followed by the match from 7:30 until 9:30.

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However, I’m told the opening whistle will not sound until 7:45 in Carson, Calif. That’s 30 minutes after the USSF claims the match will begin.

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There was a similar discrepancy Sunday for the U.S.-Iceland match on ESPN2. Listed at 3:45 p.m. PT, TV coverage did not begin until 4 o’clock (after bowling) and kickoff was about 10 minutes later.

In this day and age, no one expects the listed starting time to be precise — although, to FIFA’s credit, a World Cup match will always kick off at the specified time. (Must be all those Germans and Swiss in charge.) Five, 10 or even 15 minutes later is the norm. But 30 minutes beyond the advertised kickoff? That is unfair to those who make the effort to arrive at the stadium promptly and those at home eagerly awaiting the match, particularly one that already starts very late on the East Coast.

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With that off our chest, there is this match, which will conclude a 26-day gathering for a U.S. squad featuring a handful of tested veterans, several senior prospects and many U-23 members in need of international playing time ahead of the Olympic qualifying playoff against Colombia in late March.

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Two of the defensive starters against Iceland on Sunday — Michael Orozco and Brad Evans — rejoined their respective clubs. D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum, who scored and assisted in the second half against Iceland, is the natural candidate to partner with Matt Besler in central defense. How Jurgen Klinsmann will shape the remainder of the backline is unclear, but FC Dallas’s Kellyn Acosta seems sure to retain his spot on the outside.

With a second match inside a week, Klinsmann is likely to provide additional time to attackers who saw limited or no minutes against Iceland: Darlington Nagbe, Jermoe Kiesewetter, Mix Diskerud and Jordan Morris.

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Midfielder Lee Nguyen should see an opportunity to build on his impressive 90-minute effort against Iceland.

As in the previous match, individual performances and partnerships are valued over the final outcome. Klinsmann is seeking to identify players who will complement the core squad that will face Guatemala in a pair of World Cup qualifiers, March 25 in Guatemala City and March 29 in Columbus, Ohio.

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That said, you never want to lose to your neighbor, whether it’s Canada or Mexico.

The U.S.-Canada rivalry, if we can call it that, has been terribly one-sided for 30 years. The Americans will carry a 16-game unbeaten streak into Friday’s match, though eight of those matches ended in draws. The past two meetings, in 2012 in Toronto and 2013 in Houston, ended without a goal being scored, and four of the last eight affairs have gone scoreless.

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The U.S. dominance on home soil goes back to 1957, when Canada earned a 3-2 victory in a World Cup qualifier in St. Louis.

This is an important period for Canadian Coach Benito Floro, who is tuning up for a pair of qualifiers against Mexico, March 25 in Vancouver and March 29 in Mexico City. The current squad includes 11 players from MLS, including forwards Cyle Larin (the 2015 rookie of the year from Orlando City) and Tesho Akindele (Dallas), plus four from the second-tier NASL. None of the three goalkeepers, ranging in age from 21 to 24, has ever appeared in a senior international match.

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USA ROSTER

Goalkeepers: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls).

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Defenders: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact), Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire).

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Jermaine Jones (unattached), Perry Kitchen (unattached), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew), Jerome Kiesewetter (Stuttgart), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC), Gyasi Zardes (L.A. Galaxy).

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CANADA ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau (Montreal Impact), Tyson Farago (FC Edmonton), Callum Irving (unattached).

Defenders: Nik Ledgerwood (FC Edmonton), Samuel Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps), Doneil Henry (West Ham), Adam Straith (Fredrikstad, Norway), Wandrille Lefevre (Montreal Impact), Steven Vitoria (Benfica), Karl Ouimette (New York Red Bulls), Mallan Roberts (FC Edmonton).

Midfielders: Julian de Guzman (Ottawa Fury), Iain Hume (unattached), Will Johnson (Toronto FC), Kyle Bekker (Montreal Impact), Issey Nakajima-Farran (Terengganu, Malaysia), Jamar Dixon (Jaro, Finland), Marco Bustos (Vancouver Whitecaps), Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps), Marcel De Jong (Sporting Kansas City).