5 Chelsea Players Who Need to Make an Impression in Int'l Champions Cup

Chelsea have touched down in Montreal, where they will be based for the new few weeks as they ramp up preparations for the 2015/16 campaign.

And as they prepare to be the best, Jose Mourinho's team will face some of the best in what promises to be an epic contest in the International Champions Cup.

Proceedings kick off next week with their first pre-season outing against New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena, followed up by Paris Saint-Germain and European champions Barcelona.

It's in stark contrast to last summer when Mourinho's men played more matches in pre-season but faced mainly lower-league teams.

Facing strong opposition not only gives the manager an early chance to see how is squad will fare throughout the season, but also to gauge the level of some players.

Chelsea haven't been too busy in the transfer market yet this summer, so as things stand, it's going to be down to last season's misfits, youth-team starlets and a couple of new signings to impress. 

Juan Cuadrado

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

The general consensus is that Juan Cuadrado showed signs of returning to his best in the Copa America this summer.

After a poor six months at Chelsea following his signing in the January transfer window, the Colombian seemed to play with more confidence and energy when representing his country in Chile.

Is that a sign of things to come?

Jose Mourinho will hope so, and now Cuadrado must transfer that form to club duties, forgetting about what happened last term.

Cuadrado's troubles have been widely documented, but given Chelsea's lack of movement in the transfer market, he has an opportunity to remind Mourinho why he was brought in the first place.

Chelsea don't have huge numbers in reserve in attacking midfield, so it's Cuadrado's job to show the club don't need to be adding more players in bulk to beef up a vital position.

It's going to take much more than a good pre-season to convince, but the International Champions Cup is the ideal place to start.

If Cuadrado can stretch defences and make an impact against some tough opponents, he may well be able to save his Chelsea career.

Asmir Begovic

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

How many games will Asmir Begovic start for Chelsea next season?

The view is not many, which is why he needs to get his Chelsea career off to the best possible start in pre-season.

Begovic's biggest challenge isn't to show Jose Mourinho what a talented goalkeeper he is—Mourinho wouldn't have signed him if he didn't already know that. it's to show the manager that he has the right mentality to play at the top level, that he can hack it.

Thibaut Courtois has shown that he can, but what about Begovic? Is he destined to always be a No. 2 at Chelsea? Or can he realistically challenge for top spot?

We know what Begovic can do. In his time at Stoke City, he was one of the Premier League's outstanding goalkeepers.

Playing for the champions is a different prospect altogether than playing for a mid-table team, though.

The pressure is intensified, and the expectation doesn't always sit well with some characters.

First impressions can count for so much, meaning Begovic will want to make the best one possible.

Filipe Luis

Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press

Will Filipe Luis be a Chelsea player next season?

In the here and now, the answer to that is irrelevant. At the start of pre-season he most certainly is a Chelsea player, and that's all that he can concern himself with, regardless of what happens elsewhere.

Luis has a big fight on his hands to dislodge Cesar Azpilicueta from being Jose Mourinho's preferred left-back.

He hasn't done much wrong at Chelsea, but because Azpilicueta has been that good, the Brazilian's opportunities have been limited.

Luis must step things up, though. He doesn't have the manager's complete trust, so his task is to earn that.

To do so, he needs to perform well this summer. With Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona waiting, he has the ideal opponents to show he can really be an asset for Chelsea.

If given the chance, good performances against either team could go a long way to convince Mourinho that he needs to rethink his left-back options.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

We all know how Ruben Loftus-Cheek ended last season for Chelsea.

The midfielder's ears are probably still ringing after his public dressing down from Jose Mourinho.

So, Ruben, what have you got?

The 19-year-old isn't going to be a first-choice starter in 2015/16, so he has a whole season to learn, develop and show Mourinho he's making the right progress to be considered for more game time as the campaign goes on.

This summer, though, Loftus-Cheek must demonstrate that he's learned the lessons from Sydney, when a perceived lack of effort saw him fall foul of the manager.

Mourinho rates his talent, but what about his attitude? Does he want success enough?

End of season tour, pre-season tour—it's all the same. The games may not be worth points, yet they're equally important to the bigger picture.

Mourinho will be watching closely, and Loftus-Cheek can't let him down again.

Radamel Falcao

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

Is Radamel Falcao past his best?

Not so long ago, the Colombian was one of the most sought-after strikers in world football. After a string of injuries, now he's having to convince clubs to sign him on loan as nobody wants to risk a permanent transfer.

It's an amazing fall from grace.

Manchester United fans who saw him score just four goals all season last year will say that Chelsea have made a mistake in signing him for the upcoming campaign.

He didn't do much at Old Trafford other than frustrate Louis van Gaal, after all.

So is it going to be any different with Chelsea?

Pre-season will not give us the answer to that question, although it will give us an early indicator as to whether he's going to be effective.

One benefit is that the Colombian has time to bed himself in before the real action starts in mid-August, so he can get used to his new team-mates.

He needs to look the part, however, to instil the confidence needed that Jose Mourinho signed him for much more than a perceived vanity project.

If it comes off, the move for Falcao will seen as a moment of genius from Mourinho. Should it fail, the Colombian's career at the top will surely be over.

So much is riding on it that Falcao can't afford anything but a perfect pre-season.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes