Seventh Circle of Hell in the offing as Crew faces Cincinnati

The “Hell is Real” rivalry between the Crew and FC Cincinnati is named for a piece of biblical signage on I-71, midway between the Arch and Queen cities. Hell gets all too real when the teams meet in the Crew's new stadium, aptly named Lower.com Field, Friday night.

In all of literature, Bible included, the best take on hell was conjured by the Italian poet Dante, whose stature is such that he still doesn't need his last name on the back of his uniform. Dante completed "The Divine Comedy" in 1320 and in it he named names in part one of his epic, "Inferno."

Inferno describes the nine Circles of Hell. The Sixth Circle is filled with heretics, who are condemned to flaming tombs for eternity.

It's hot down there.

KYLE ROBERTSON/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Crew coach Caleb Porter: “This is my job. I live and eat and breathe and sleep this every single day. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this club and the job and how I can do better.”