San Jose Earthquakes assistant Benjamin Galindo alert after stroke

The San Jose Earthquakes issued an update about assistant coach Benjamin Galindo, who suffered a stroke on May 28, and in parsing the statement it sounds like good news.

Benjamin woke up from his medically induced coma on Sunday morning. He has become increasingly alert and begun speaking to family members while remaining hospitalized in Guadalajara. We appreciate everyone’s patience and respectfulness of the privacy that the Galindo family has requested.

Galindo, 59, is in his second season with the Quakes. Previously, the Mexican had an extensive career, mostly as a head coach, in his native country, leading Santos Laguna to a league title in 2012 and also managing Chivas, Cruz Azul and Atlas. He was also a decorated player before that, making over 700 appearances combined for several Mexican clubs.

After suffering the stroke in Guadalajara on May 28, he was rushed into emergency surgery, before being put in the medically-induced coma to allow him to rest and heal. The Earthquakes’ statement is promising — he’s certainly not out of the woods entirely, but being alert and able to speak to family members is a very good sign following a stroke.

It’s unclear if Galindo will return to his role with San Jose in the coming months or not. MLS is expected to restart in July, but often, suffering a stroke that requires surgery means months of recuperation and physical therapy before returning to “normal life” again. Regardless, we wish the best to Benjamin Galindo and hope he continues to get better, every day.

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