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In the grand foyer, past the hardwood-floored entryway, and around a corner to the left, three former FC Dallas teammates, also a few of the Dallas area's most enthusiastic cooks, stirred throughout the kitchen on a late-June afternoon.

Throughout the room with ivory granite countertops, white cabinets and silver stainless steel appliances, Kellyn Acosta and Jacori Hayes prepared chicken lettuce wraps for lunch as Kris Reaves put the finishing touches on protein smoothies, the pregame show for one of Brazil's World Cup matches playing on the living room TV in the background.

"This is every day," Reaves said, jokingly, of the trio's meal presentation as he poured the banana and berry mixture into three wine glasses, each with a half-sliced strawberry on the edge. "What day is it? Tuesday?"

Someone reminded him it was Wednesday.

"Well," Reaves said. "You should've seen Tuesday's."

The exchange exemplified why the three developed a passion for cooking in the Prosper home they shared from last December until Acosta was traded to the Colorado Rapids in July. It was a hobby after training ended, an outlet for saving money and calories at restaurants and a source of camaraderie and laughter during their almost-daily adventures in the kitchen.

"I want something fancy, but what I'm comfortable with," Acosta said. "We don't want to burn anything."

Though Acosta, a Homegrown FC Dallas product who grew up in Plano and had played at least 13 games a season for the team since 2013, headed to Colorado for a fresh start, he isn't planning to sell the house where the three formed their informal cooking club.

Instead, Reaves and Hayes will stay in Prosper while Acosta can travel back to visit on free weekends. Their separation, however, does have a drawback.

"We lost Kell's good meal," Reaves said after a recent morning practice before he and Hayes planned to shop at Kroger for the week's ingredients on the way home. "He made salmon and shrimp, so we're not going to have that for a while unless he decides to come back and make that for us."

Still, that they now specialize in salmon and shrimp, baked chicken and steak, and rigatoni and sausage is a contrast to how they started their individual cooking attempts upon moving out of their homes.

Acosta moved into a single apartment across from the franchise's stadium in Frisco when he was 17. He called his parents almost every night.

The future Major League Soccer All-Star midfielder and member of the U.S. men's national team needed their advice on how to cook, what to make, which ingredients to buy, and what to do when he burnt his first try at making rice.

"That was seriously hit or miss," Acosta said. "It was a mess."

Hayes and Reaves had similar problems upon graduating from Wake Forest and Portland, respectively. They started simple with spaghetti, and maybe some chicken.

"Variation," Reaves said, "was Alfredo or red sauce."

But when Acosta rounded up the group, which also included a fourth housemate who's not on FC Dallas, to move into a house last winter, they became more adventurous, and successful, in the kitchen.

Most nights for dinner, one of the three took the preparation lead with the responsibility rotating each day because they said they didn't often have leftovers to reheat. They often had dinner over an episode or two of a Netflix or HBO series -- Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones and Westworld are some current favorites -- in the media room behind the kitchen table.

But on that late-June afternoon, all three pitched in on the chicken lettuce wraps after an early-morning training session, armed with fresh ingredients and ready to work.

Hayes sliced green onions, while Acosta started on the stove with the ground chicken and spices. Reaves gathered everything he needed for the smoothies -- bananas, blueberries, almond milk, peanut butter, yogurt and more -- and layered the ingredients into the blender.

As they cooked, the ground chicken, mixed with the onions, brown ginger, olive oil, and soy and teriyaki sauce, simmered on the stove, while music played from Reaves' phone. The three discussed their picks for Brazil to win the World Cup and their food preferences.

Acosta and Hayes don't like mushrooms, so the trio rarely makes any dishes with them in it. Reaves, meanwhile, will eat almost anything with ketchup.

Reaves left out ketchup as the three finished preparing the day's lunch, but he did pour some nacho cheese-flavored Doritos and garden salsa Sun Chips into a glass bowl to use as scoops for his ground chicken instead of lettuce.

But before the three sat down at the table, pretending to add sriracha designs in the shape of a soccer ball for prime presentation, poking fun at Reaves by pretending to choke on his smoothie, and shooing away Izzy, Acosta's Australian shepherd mix puppy in search of some handouts, they had an important decision to make.

FC Dallas teammate Jacori Hayes (left) laughs while Kellyn Acosta (right) prepares lunch in a home they share with Kris Reaves in Prosper, Texas Wednesday June 27, 2018. Acosta, Hayes and Reaves prepared chicken lettuce wraps and smoothie after a morning of training. The three have been preparing meals together on a regular basis since moving in together. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News) (Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer)

"Should I bring out the fine china?" Acosta asked.

"Oh yeah," Reaves responded. "The paper plates."

All three laughed over the hum of the blender.

If the shoe fits

FC Dallas player Kellyn Acosta with his collection of shoes in his Prosper, Texas home Wednesday June 27, 2018. Acosta has hundreds of pairs of shoes. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News) (Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer)

When Kellyn Acosta was growing up in Plano, he'd sometimes wear an extra accessory to bed. If he had recently gotten a new pair of shoes, he'd put them on before getting under the covers at night. They'd still be on his feet when he'd wake up.

The Colorado Rapids midfielder has a love for shoes, an affinity that's only grown as he's blossomed into a U.S. men's national team member, garnered sponsorships and matured his taste in footwear.

"I'm big on shoes," Acosta said. "You could say I'm a hoarder. I have shoes that date back to a few years ago to shoes that I just got last week. Shoes have always been something of a passion ever since growing up. I mean, I've had an obsession with shoes."

Acosta said he owns close to 200 pairs of shoes, an estimate that appears accurate. In the closet of his then-Prosper home, boxes, racks and stacks of shoes lined the walls, floors and shelves above, below and behind his clothes.

As he walked through the room in late June, he pointed out his variety of brands, styles and designs.

There were Nike, which sponsors him, Gucci, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Golden Goose, Maison Margiela, Saint Laurent and more. There were athletic shoes, slip-ons, boots, casual wear and more. There were typical white, black and brown designs and then other shoes with bright green spikes or metallic silver reflections, leopard-print patterns or sideways flames.

"My mom was a big shoe person," Acosta said, "and it kind of inspired me to be a shoe hoarder."

The collection is still largely intact -- at least for now. When Acosta moved out in late July, he took only one pair with him to Colorado.

Check out the gallery below for a closer look at Acosta's shoes.

1 / 5FC Dallas player Kellyn Acosta with his collection of shoes in his Prosper, Texas home Wednesday June 27, 2018. Acosta has hundreds of pairs of shoes. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)(Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer) 2 / 5A detail of a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes in the collection of FC Dallas player Kellyn Acosta in his Prosper, Texas home Wednesday June 27, 2018. Acosta has hundreds of pairs of shoes. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)(Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer) 3 / 5FC Dallas teammates in Prosper, Texas Wednesday June 27, 2018. Roommates and FC Dallas teammates Kelly Acosta, Jacori Hayes and Kris Reaves prepare a meal in their kitchen after a morning of training. The three have been preparing meals together on a regular basis since moving in together. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)(Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer) 4 / 5The shoe collection of FC Dallas player Kellyn Acosta in his Prosper, Texas home Wednesday June 27, 2018. Acosta has hundreds of pairs of shoes. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)(Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer) 5 / 5A detail of a pair of Gucci shoes in the collection of FC Dallas player Kellyn Acosta in his Prosper, Texas home Wednesday June 27, 2018. Acosta has hundreds of pairs of shoes. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)(Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer)

Twitter: @CallieCaplan