Like Japan, Sweden or England once got their former player as the national team's manager? Few of them even chose to become a coach, why does that happen?
Cindy Parlow Cone was an assistant at UNC and also took the Thorns to a championship. Brandi Chastain is coaching at a boys prep school. My guess is that most of them played for so long, they delayed other life goals - such as marriage, children, following (another) career. I think we might see more of them in it eventually - after the kids are raised, coaching licenses earned, etc. Akers has her own soccer academy, I think.
While she was a player, yes, but I don't think she has since the late 1990s. She's now an assistant coach for the US Deaf WNT. Amy Griffin, back-up GK on the '91 team who also coaches for Univ. of Washington, is the USDWNT head coach. Also others: --Carla Overbeck has been a long-time assistant coach at Duke. --Tiffeny Milbrett has done a lot in youth coaching in the northwest and in Colorado. Also Akers offered to help with the NT program at the youth level, and Chastain also showed interest. Apparently their offers of help were not accepted although I think Akers did help in a few sessions at the U20 level IIRC. Besides family considerations, there are coaching licenses to consider as well; I know former professional players have a fast-track on getting the highest coaching licenses, but still they're not automatically granted AFAIK.
Michelle French played on the NT between 1997 and 2001. Was an alternate on the 1999 team and went to the 2000 Olympics. Also captained 3 u20 teams. Shannon Macmillan coaches club soccer in the San Diego area. She left a UCLA assistant job to be closer to family. She is currently director of operations and a coach for the Del Mar Sharks. Tracy Noonan ( Ducar) runs goalkeeper camps and was a head coach at Greenboro college.