It’s been a little over week since World Cup 2010 came to a close, and there are precisely 1,418 days until the next World Cup. Here are just a few of the things I’m doing in the short term to keep the momentum going:

• For starters, I’m planning on watching the MLS All-Stars vs. Manchester United match next Wednesday. Hope to see something reminiscent of the fan activity that I saw during the World Cup at whatever bar I end up at (MLS vs. Manchester United, July 28th, 7:30 EST)

• I’m going to read Soccernomics. Been told that it’s perfect for fans of Moneyball

• Going to attend my first MLS game, and it should be a good one I’m told – LA Galaxy vs. NY Red Bulls, August 14th; Henry vs. Donovan

From there, hopefully I’ll find myself at a few choice NYC bars – Central Bar, you’re a fantastic soccer bar – for some EPL games, which I’m told mostly happen in the early morning EST. I’m not opposed to starting off my Saturday (or my Wednesday) in this manner.

It’s no exaggeration, thanks to the World Cup I became a newly co-opted soccer fan. Special thanks is deserved to the folks at Verizon who hooked me up with a Droid Incredible to go around and take pictures of World Cup as it was happening in New York City.

Check out the full digest of pictures on Flickr, and some of the real time updates I was making on Tumblr at: 8000MilesAway.com.

Here’s the best of the best of the 15 games, at 12 different locations, that I took in during the World Cup…

Enjoy, and as my buddy Dave, who’s taking me to that Red Bulls game, told me: If you save $3 a day, you could go to Brazil in 2014.

8000 Miles Away: Best of World Cup: Part One

8000 Miles Away: Best of World Cup: Part Two

Thierry Henry stopped by for a three minute segment with Fallon last night. Jimmy conducted a short interview in which he proceeded to remind Henry what a nightmare the World Cup was, then Jimmy got in goal…

Soccer Star Thierry Henry Takes Shots on Jimmy

The AP reported this morning that French striker Thierry Henry joined the New York Red Bulls today, and is scheduled to see his first action with the team on June 22 when the Red Bulls face the English Premiership squad from Tottenham Hottspur FC.

Naturally, the Red Bulls website is lousy with all things Henry at the moment. I’m going to act like a real fanboy and link you to some of the items, like this pretty stylish t-shirt.

I’d say Henry’s arrival is a pretty good opportunity for the newly co-opted soccer fans in the metro-NY area to keep the World Cup fervor going. I have tickets for the August 14th match between the Red Bulls and Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video from the team’s site of Henry’s recent Red Bulls photo shoot.

(Screenshot via NewYorkRedBulls.com)

Before you get too excited, let me just preface by saying that the Pre-Showdown brunch is $5,000 per, and the After-Match drinking with Nash and Claudio Reyna requires a minimum $250 donation. If you’re only a high roller in training like me and you’re in Lower Manhattan tomorrow, you should probably consider just going down to the free event. I’ll be the guy snapping pics with the HTC Incredible and scowling at Tony Parker. Here’s the full detail:

NBA stars.  Soccer’s best.  An urban field.  A sweet 8-a-side game of futbol in the middle of a city benefiting children’s programs on three continents.

Steve brings his passion to play in this innovative match that any sports fan will love.  Showcasing athletes from two sports, Showdown is the beautiful game at its most creative.  With international rosters that have included Steve Nash, Thierry Henry, Claudio Reyna, Tony Parker, Adrian Mutu, Grant Hill, Ivan Cordoba, Baron Davis, Javier Zanetti, Ryan Babel, Salomon Kalou, Simone Sandri, Martin Nash, Mathieu Flamini, Edgar Davids and Chris Bosh the Showdowns are events not to be missed!

The Showdown in Chinatown is a free to the public event located on Chrystie St. and Stanton St. on the lower east side.  Steve Nash, Claudio Reyna, Tony Parker, Simone Motto, Brandon Jennings, Giuseppe Rossi and more!

Chris Bosh is allegedly decent, but I bet I can capture a photo of him looking goofy. Check out this recap video from last year’s tournament featuring Bosh:

Go to stevenash.org/showdown to learn more about the Steve Nash Foundation and Claudio Reyna Foundation.