1. Ankored Knowledge Center
  2. Coaches, Parents and Players

Ankored User Guide for MLS NEXT Academy Division 2025-2026 Season

Complete Guide for Parents, Players and Staff

Welcome to Ankored! This article will guide you on how to complete your requirements.

Quick Start: What You Need to Know

  • You're automatically added to Ankored when you register and pay for your 2025-2026 program in LeagueApps. Your status needs to be Spot Reserved in LeagueApps.

  • Check your email for the Ankored invitation after registering

  • Use the same email from LeagueApps to log into Ankored


Step 1: Getting Into Ankored

How do I get invited?

You don't need to sign up separately. Once you register and pay for a 2025-2026 program in LeagueApps, you'll automatically get an email invitation to Ankored.

Problems with registration or payment your haven't received an Ankored invite? Contact Support@LeagueApps.com

How do I log in?

  1. Go to app.ankored.com
  2. Enter your email and click Log In
  3. You'll go to LeagueApps - enter your email and LeagueApps password
  4. Click Sign in with LeagueApps
  5. You'll see your Ankored profile with your requirements

Forgot your LeagueApps password? Email support@leagueapps.com

Need to change your email?

Your Ankored account uses your LeagueApps email. To change it:

  1. Go to your Personal Information tab in Ankored
  2. This takes you back to LeagueApps where you can update your email
  3. Changes take 15-30 minutes to sync

Step 2: What You Need to Complete as a Player Role in Ankored

Your requirements depend on your age and where you were born:

Every Player Role Must Complete:

  • Age Verification (all players)
  • ImPACT Baseline Test (all players - costs $20)

Additional Requirements:

  • SafeSport Training (players 18 or turning 18 during the season)
  • International Player Clearance (if you were born outside the U.S.)

Important: SafeSport and ImPACT are completed in their respective websites. You're asked to upload proof of completion in Ankored for review and approval.


Step 3: Age Verification (Required for all Player roles)

What you'll need:

  • Your birth certificate, passport, or government ID
  • A headshot photo of the player

How to do it:

  1. Log into app.ankored.com
  2. Select your child's profile (parents) or your own profile (18+ players)
  3. Click Begin Age Verification or Continue Age Verification
  4. Check that the birth date is correct
  5. Enter the player's legal name (if different from what's shown)
  6. Upload a headshot photo
  7. Choose and upload your proof of age document:
    • Birth Certificate
    • Government Issued Passport
    • Government Issued ID
  8. Read and check the consent boxes
  9. Click Submit

What happens next?

  • Approved: Your status changes to "Completed" automatically
  • Processing: Sometimes it needs review - you'll get an email update
  • Not Approved: You'll get an email explaining why (usually wrong birth date)

Wrong birth date? Go back to LeagueApps to fix it. Changes take 10-15 minutes to show up in Ankored.

How to fix birth date in LeagueApps:

  1. In your LeagueApps dashboard, click Profiles, then My Family Account
  2. Find the player's name and click Edit
  3. Update the Birth Date field
  4. Scroll down and click Edit to save

Need help? Email support@ankored.com


Step 4: ImPACT Baseline Test (Required for all Player roles)

Important notes:

  • Costs $20
  • Completed on ImPACT's website
  • You must upload proof of completion to Ankored

How to do it:

  1. Go to baselinetesting.com
  2. Take the Baseline test (costs $20)
  3. Screenshot one of these as proof in Ankored:
    • Completion Certificate (shows name, birth date, test date, "Baseline" result, Confirmation ID)
    • Completion Email (from ImPACT with Passport ID)
    • Clinical Report (official document with name, Passport ID, birth date)

Upload to Ankored:

  1. In Ankored, go to your ImPACT requirement
  2. Click Upload
  3. Choose your proof document
  4. Submit for review

What happens next?

  • Status shows "Pending Review"
  • Admin reviews your upload
  • You get an email saying "Approved" or "Not Approved"
  • If approved, you're done!
  • If not accepted, you can try again

Questions? Email support@ankored.com


Step 5: SafeSport Training (Players 18+ Only)

Important notes:

  • Done on SafeSport website
  • Your name on certificate must match your Ankored profile name 
  • Certificate expires after 365 days of completion 

How to do it:

  1. Go to safesporttrained.org
  2. Create account with the exact same name as in Ankored
  3. Click Menu (top right), then Catalog
  4. Find "SafeSport Trained - YOUR ORGANIZATION"
  5. Click Start and complete the training
  6. After finishing, click Menu, then Transcript
  7. Under "Certificates," click Download

Acceptable training types:

  • SafeSport Trained
  • Refresher 1: Recognizing and Reporting Misconduct
  • Refresher 2: Preventing Misconduct
  • Refresher 3: Creating a Positive Sport Environment
  • Abuse Prevention for Adult Athletes

Upload to Ankored:

  1. In Ankored, go to your SafeSport requirement
  2. Click Upload
  3. Enter completion date
  4. Select your certificate file (PDF, PNG, or JPEG)
  5. Click Upload

What happens next?

  • Status changes to "Pending Review"
  • Admin reviews and approves
  • You get email notification when done

Step 6: International Player Clearance 

Please direct any ITC-related questions to your League Operator, Team Manager, Club Administrator, or Academy Director/Director of Coaching.

For questions regarding this process, please refer to this link: https://www.ussoccer.com/federation-services/international-clearance

To complete this requirement in Ankored, you’ll need to upload a screenshot of the email response from the Player Status Department confirming that U.S. Soccer has received and/or approved the Clearance request.

Birth Certificates or Passports are not acceptable forms of document.


Understanding Your Status

Your overall status can be:

  • Incomplete: You have missing requirements (hover to see which ones)
  • Cleared: All requirements completed
  • Optional: 

Individual requirement status:

  • Completed: ✅ Done!
  • Incomplete: ❌ Action required on your end
  • Pending Review: Your Upload is being reviewed by an Admin for approval
  • Expired: 🔄 Need to redo (certificate expired)
  • Expiring Soon: ⚠️ Will expire soon, consider renewing

For Team Managers and Club Administrators, and Academy Director/ Director of Coaching

You can view compliance for all your teams:

  • Look at the left sidebar for your team groups
  • Click the triangle to expand and see all groups
  • Click on individual profiles for detailed requirements

Getting Help

Common questions:

"I can't log in"

  • Make sure you're using the same email from LeagueApps Registration
  • Reset your LeagueApps password if needed

"My birth date is wrong"

  • Fix it in LeagueApps (see instructions above)
  • Wait 15-30 minutes for it to sync to Ankored

"My requirement was not approved"

  • Check your email for the reason
  • Re-submit your requirement

"I need help with ImPACT"

  • Review this article https://www.ankored.com/knowledge/impact-baseline-test-overview
  • ImPACT is a separate system and not integrated with Ankored, for payment or training link questions, contact ImPACT directly https://baselinetesting.com/contact-impact-baseline-test/

"I want to be removed from Ankored"

  • Email Support@Ankored.com with your email address and profile name
  • Note: This removes all your completed requirements permanently

Contact support:

  • Ankored questions: support@ankored.com
  • LeagueApps registration/payment: Support@LeagueApps.com

Quick Reference: What Each Role Needs

Player Roles

Role Age Verification SafeSport ImPACT International Clearance
Over 18 ITC Player
Over 18 Player
Under 18 ITC Player
Under 18 Player

Coach Roles

Role SafeSport Background Check CDC Concussion
Head Coach
Assistant Coach

Additional Roles

Role SafeSport Background Check CDC Concussion
Team Manager 🔷 OPTIONAL 🔷 OPTIONAL 🔷 OPTIONAL
Club Administrator 🔷 OPTIONAL 🔷 OPTIONAL 🔷 OPTIONAL
Academy Director/ Director of Coaching 🔷 OPTIONAL 🔷 OPTIONAL 🔷 OPTIONAL