"I feel like I'm playing with a lot more confidence," Adekugbe told us. "I mean first game, kind of nerves, general excitement, but now, heading into a fourth game and having another match and 90 minutes away from home, I feel that my confidence is growing and I'm able to take more chances and take more risks going forward. I feel that the overall progression has let me go more forward.
"I'm trying to play every game possible. I want to show the coaches that I can do well. Obviously it's an environment I'm not used to, so I have to kind of prove myself no matter what."
In the minutes that he has played, Adekugbe has impressed and against Portland and DC he was the only player late on running at and getting past defenders. It bodes well for the future and the almost guaranteed minutes that the Canadian international will get with the Caps’ new USL Pro team next season will be invaluable.
Fans and media apart, Adekugbe has also been impressing his Whitecaps teammates, as has fellow fullback Ethen Sampson, who made his debut in the DC game only to cramp up and be replaced by Adekugbe.
One of those that he has impressed is the man whose job he would dearly like to have, left back Jordan Harvey.
"They're really young. I didn't make my debut till about a year or two after them," Harvey told reporters this week when asked about the two young fullbacks. "It's all about experience at this point. In defending, that's a lot of it. Getting them out there, getting them experience. They have the talent. I think for them it's just about getting more minutes and they've got all the potential."
It’s been a tough few weeks in Vancouver. The goals haven’t been going in, the wins haven’t been coming and they fell out of the playoff places in the West. Wednesday night’s win over San Jose has eased some of that pressure ever so slightly. Perhaps not the best environment to blood youngsters in some ways, but the pressure that a dip in form and a playoff battle down the stretch brings is a situation that Adekugbe feels will teach him a lot for his future career.
"You can feel the tension," Adekugbe told reporters. "You don't know what to say in the dressing room, you don't want to push buttons and make people feel uncomfortable. I think as a young player, the tension is definitely there but you're also excited because you're still a developing player and you want to prove to the coaches that you can be in one of those positions and help the team get forward.
"I think it's just the way things occur. Players want to be in an environment where, ok, you see that things are happening and you want to prove to yourself. I think it's just a natural thing.
"As a young player you want to put yourself in as many environments as possible. This is one where the fans are nervous, the players are nervous, we want to produce goals and things like that. To have this environment now at a young age helps us in the latter with growing up and you can be in that position of an older player helping youngsters, telling them what to do.”
That opportunity to help those younger than him is already happening for Adekugbe. Having just graduated this year from the Whitecaps Residency program, Sam is a player that others coming through the ranks now look up to and are looking to emulate.
Does he find his old Residency teammates, especially those close to breaking into the MLS ranks, keen to talk to him about his experiences so far?
"Definitely," Adekugbe told us. "I've been able to come down for a couple of training sessions with the academy when I've not travelled with the first team. Niall Thompson's [Residency head coach] doing a good job. They do ask me questions about what's it like, what's the environment like with the first team players in the locker room, how are you coping with all the draws just now.
"I just tell them it's going to happen to every club. Maybe in the academy you might not be winning games and players are getting mad at each other. You've got to bring the most positive side to it and hopefully just be the best person that you can and help the team improve."
With the new Residency USSDA season all set to kick off this weekend, there will be a number of players currently in the program watching Adekugbe’s progress closely and with the development of homegrown talent already a clear way forward for MLS 3.0, you can be sure that many of them will be following in his footsteps real soon.