Last year, Costa Rican defender Roy Miller was a part of the New York Red Bulls’ Cinderella run to the Supporters’ Shield. This year, he played a small role in his country’s surprising quarterfinal finish in the World Cup.

Unfortunately, a quad strain ended his participation at the international tournament during group play.

Now, he is nearly set to return.

Red Bulls’ head coach Mike Petke is hoping his standout fullback is prepared for action, beginning with this weekend’s match against Arsenal.

“(Roy) looks good,” Petke told reporters. “In my perfect scenario, Roy will play a part against Arsenal, which will gauge where he is at. From there, depending on how he plays and recovers, that will give us an answer on the role he will play in the next game.”

Up until his World Cup departure, Miller was easily the Red Bulls most valuable player on the backline. Since his leave to Brazil, rookie Ambroise Oyongo has filled in his stead. While doing an admirable job at the position, Oyongo, like Miazga and Duvall, have shown a slight dip in form — the kind expected of any young product at the professional level.

With Miller, New York add a much needed veteran presence to the backline, where Duvall continues to excel, as does centerback Matt Miazga.

Earlier this year, Petke mentioned that he might look at Miller to fill in the left midfield position, keeping Oyongo at left fullback. The move would make sense, with other options like Bobby Convey failing to claim the spot. Whether that materializes is yet to be seen. However, having Miller nearly at full strength brings New York a valuable commodity on defense at a time where the backline has looked most vulnerable.

Petke will meet with doctors and staff later Tuesday evening to discuss Miller’s health and possible inclusion for this weekend’s event.